


A Song in Blood

by thecatsred



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Dragon Age AU, First Kiss, M/M, Mages and Templars, Magic, Mentions of Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, Pride Demons (Dragon Age), Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-06-30 06:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19847455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecatsred/pseuds/thecatsred
Summary: Gabriel, a talented half-elf mage from Rivain, and Jack, a Templar who grew up in Ferelden, meet under unfortunate circumstances. Despite their differences, they grow into fast friends until things spiral downward in a situation out of either of their control.Then the sky opens up and all hell breaks loose. Literally.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all!
> 
> This is a work between myself and Valerie_Sparkle @twitter for the R76 RBB! Val provided all the amazing artwork you'll see in this fic, AND the wonderful AU idea!
> 
> I'm very excited to share this with everyone. :)
> 
> Every day I will update with three new chapters, til we are done!
> 
> Enjoy!

“You think so little of me _filth_ , that you would come into my home and seek to destroy me?” A deep voice, growling in a way no human could accomplish, reaches Gabriel’s ears and sends a shiver down his spine. 

He knew better than to respond to the demon’s coaxing, as letting it get a rise out of him would be to let it win. He couldn’t do that. If it won, and got through the Fade by him? Well...

Gabriel didn’t want to die. So he was going to kill this demon instead. 

He’s pressed up against some gnarled bush of twisting thorn and weed when he hears the demon shoot a bolt of molten fire his way. He’s got only a few moments to roll out the way of the blast, his robe catching flame at the edges. 

“ _Shit._ ” He grits his teeth, dodging another burst of fire that comes dangerously close to his back. He can’t outrun this creature forever.

He lets out a breath, ignores the bead of sweat sliding down his brow, and turns, staff firmly gripped in both hands. “You are _nothing_ to me, demon!” Gabriel says, voice more steady than he feels. He lifts his chin and readies a spell, feeling the energy shift from his core to the tips of his fingers. He’s worked too hard to get here. Too hard to let it all end like this. 

  
The demon stomps around the corner, facing Gabriel, mouth open in a smile with sharp teeth on full display. When it begins to raise its hand, Gabriel points his staff towards it. He hopes the demon cannot see him shaking.

“You’ve hit me once,” the demon says, giant hand still held out, “think you can manage it again, hm?” It tilts its head to the side, goading Gabriel into action. 

It works. Gabriel releases his spell, a cone of frost spilling forth from the top of his staff, coating the ground in front of him in thick ice, and the demon along with it. There’s a moment of stillness, then a crack, two, and the sound of shattering ice landing on the hard ground below when the demon gains back control over its limbs. There's laughter again, deep, rumbling and endlessly irritating to Gabriel. 

Before he has a chance to think, he’s shooting out several large, glossy shards of ice towards the demon. All but one of them make impact, piercing deep within the creature’s flesh. It roars out in pain, claws digging at its own skin where the shards have begun to melt. 

Gabriel takes the moment of distraction. His staff glows a soft, dark purple hue, Energy crackles through his body, and he unleashes a bolt of pure, arcane energy at the demon. It’s enough to knock it back. 

Its armored hide slams into the rocks nearby, sending a small clattering of stones tumbling down on top of the demon. Gabriel takes a few steps closer when it doesn’t move right away. Another bolt of energy drains into his staff, prepped at the ready. 

The demon looks up, eyes burning. “Kill me now, and you’ll never hear my offer.” It says. 

Gabriel pauses. “What offer?”

The demon smirks, sitting up in the rubble. “I can grant you unimaginable power, strength beyond what your mortal body could ever hope to possess.” It lifts one clawed hand, uncurling its fist as if beckoning Gabriel closer. “I can show you so many things. Things you’ve never considered.” The demon purrs.

Gabriel steps closer, though he doesn’t lower his staff, still lit up purple with energy. “Why should I trust you, after you’ve just tried to kill me?” He asks, pointing his staff at the demon. 

It growls. “I don’t offer these things lightly.” It says, “I sense you’ve got power within you…”

The demon stands. It towers over Gabriel from this close, leaving the mage in shadow.

“Bring me with you when you leave the Fade. I will give you all the power you could have ever dreamt of and more.” The demon steps close enough that Gabriel’s staff is nearly touching it. Arcs of energy slip off the demon’s body and back into the staff. 

Gabriel smiles. “Alright, I accept your deal.” He says, looking up at the creature before him without so much as a tremor this time. “But I have to test one thing first.”

The demon sneers, obviously displeased with the stalling. “And what’s that?”

“I want to know how strong you are.” Gabriel says, then he unleashes the stored up arcane energy once again, the blast even more powerful than the last. It pours through him out of his staff, leaving his skin feeling almost raw. The demon flies backwards with a shout, a hole of sizzling, purple goo square in its abdomen. It’s not moving. 

Gabriel lowers his staff, breathing heavy. “As I thought.”

\--

When Gabriel wakes, he’s lying in a cot - not his own bed by far - but somewhere more comfortable than the floor at least. One of his teachers is nearby, flipping through an old book. 

She looks up when she notices he’s awake. “Oh! Good! You slept for several hours, had us all worried!” She slips a ribbon into the book and sets it off to the side. “Congratulations, Gabriel! You’ve passed your Harrowing!” She smiles and walks over to him, placing her hands over his own. “You also set a new record too - one of the fastest Harrowing tests I’ve ever seen! You did amazing in there. And to think, some were worried you’d fail!” She snorts. “Pah! Not our brightest student, I told them. But do they listen to me? Hardly.” 

She offers Gabriel a hand. “How do you feel? You feel like a full mage now?”

Gabriel takes her hand gratefully, still a little weak from his encounter. He scrubs his free hand down his face. “I feel...mostly the same. I just know I’m not interested in the Fade as much as I once was.” He laughs. “It’s a shithole.” 

“That it is, my boy. That it is.” She sighs, grabbing her book once she’s sure Gabriel is stable. “If you feel up to it, you’re free to tell your friends the good news!” 

Gabriel perks up at that. He’d been stuck inside the last few weeks, studying and practicing as much as he could before his Harrowing. He needed the social interaction. “Yes, I think I will, thank you.” He says. He spends a few minutes gathering a small bag with a change of clothes and a snack, just in case. Ana wasn’t too far from the circle, but it never hurt to be prepared for anything.

\--

The inside of Ana’s home is comforting. The air is warm with spices and humidity. Decorative drapes, carpets, and blankets tossed every which way made it almost impossible to find somewhere uncomfortable to sit, meaning Gabriel sinks into the cushions when he sits across from his Qunari friend. As always, Ana somehow seemed to know Gabriel was coming, as she already has a cup of tea out for him, waiting on the short table in front of her.

When Gabriel picks it up wordlessly, it is still warm. Amazing.

“I see congratulations are in order.” She sips her own cup of tea slowly, keeping an eye on him over the rim. “See? What did I tell you?” She looks proud of herself.

“Yeah, yeah, you were right, as usual. I had to fight a demon in there. Damned thing tried to tempt me to let it out.”

Ana nods. “Typical. Demons can’t do as much in the Fade as they can here. It’s why they come so easily to the seers of this city, just to get a taste of the outside. More or less.” She pauses when a gentle crash comes from the opposite room. “Fareeha!” She yells, head turned, listening.

Another small crash, then a giggling shriek. “Mama! Mama! Look!”

A young girl, visually similar to her mother, though her horns are much smaller, nearly bounces out of her skin as she holds out her hands. Nestled safely in her palms is a small, blue flame, flickering gently back and forth.

Ana seems tired, but pleased. “Good job, it looks very stable this time.” 

Fareeha’s smile is huge as she runs back out of the room. 

“Do you enjoy encouraging her so much? Isn’t it dangerous for her even here?” Gabriel asks. After all, the reason Ana came all this way to Rivain was to hide her daughter from the Qun. 

Ana takes a sip of her tea, looking away. “I would rather her train her powers, and know how to wield them against those who would hurt her, than for her to be fearful and ashamed of that part of herself. She is still young, and has much to learn. Many things I cannot teach her on my own. But with time, I know she’ll be as talented as you, Gabriel.” 

Gabriel shakes his head. “Don’t waste your flattery on me, I’m not so special.”

“You know I’ve made friends of the seers here. They speak of you often. Of your potential, and your power, control. You are one of the best students in the circle. Do not downplay that.” 

Gabriel had no words for her. He knew somewhere deep down that she was right, but he never saw himself as anyone deserving of such praise. 

“What should I do now that I’m officially a mage of the circle?” He asks her once their tea runs low. 

“You could teach, or you could join the military here. You could also stay in and study, and use your skills for good. Or for hire. It’s really up to you.” Ana looks him in the eye. “But know this, Gabriel,” She starts, making certain he’s paying attention. “Whatever you choose to do with yourself in the future, I know it will be the right decision. You are smarter than you let on.” She chuckles. “It’s why I like you.”

Gabriel looks down at his hands, mouth turned upwards in a private smile. “You are a good friend, Ana.”

“I know.”

“Thank you for your help, and your words.” He looks at her after he stands from his seat. “And thank you for believing in me.”

\--

A few months pass without much incident. Gabriel passes his time in study and practice, honing his skills and learning new things each week. Time goes by slowly, but steadily. There’s always a sense of accomplishment with each new sunset that shines through the windows of the tower, and Gabriel grows accustomed to it. Several of his peers pass their Harrowing with flying colors, but none of them manage to beat his time. He lets himself have this small victory.

“Reyes,” A stern voice calls, waking him from a deep sleep, even before the first light of day. “Gather your personal effects. You’re bein’ transferred.” Gabriel blinks through the sleep in his eyes, trying to focus on the man standing over him. It was one of the rare Templars.

“What now?” He asks, looking around. A few others in the hall are being woken up too.

“You’re being transferred to Ferelden. There’s need of mages with your talent there, so we’re transferring you. Come on, hurry up.” The Templar doesn’t bother to step back to give him room to pack, just stands resolutely in the way while Gabriel does his best not to forget any of his things. 

“Will I be coming back?”

The Templar doesn’t say anything, instead turning his head to the door, as if to say ‘hurry up’. Gabriel gets the message.

It’s less than ten minutes later when he’s being lined up with a few of his fellows, all carrying a single pack over their shoulder, or on their back. None of them look to understand the situation, but all of them seem worried. Gabriel would be lying if he wasn’t feeling the same.. 

A group of six templars accompany Gabriel and the other mages out of Rivain. They take a ship south into Ferelden, a journey that takes a little less than five days. The ship docks at Denerim, a large port city, known for its trade, its Elven Alienage, and its darker side. 

The templars secure carriages after a short night of rest and a hot meal, then the group is back on the road, traveling across the Bannorn to Kinloch Hold - one of the larger circles Gabriel’s read about. It takes a short ferry ride across a narrow section of Lake Calenhad to even enter the tower. Once on the docks, the entire group seems to deflate. The stress of travel having gotten to each of them finally seems to be wearing off. But not for Gabriel. This place feels _wrong_. Cold, damp, and unwelcoming. He blinks up at the massive tower in front of him, and finds he cannot look at it. He turns, and feels a chill up the middle of his back while staring out over the water. The moonlight glints on the still lake, casting an eerie glow across all the group’s faces.

An older man greets the group at the main gates. He’s clad in typical Templar armor, though his is somehow more ornate in places, more polished. Gabriel immediately dislikes him.

Templars were never taken seriously in Rivain, only allowed to stay around the circle in Dairsmuid to appease the Chantry. This man here, however, is used to getting his way with little questioning. Gabriel thinks it best to ignore him as much as possible.

But as luck would have it…

“So I see you managed to get all of the mages I asked for here in one piece.” The man says to the templars. He doesn’t bother to smile when he turns to Gabriel and the others. “I am Knight Commander Petras, and Kinloch Hold is under my command. No doubt you all have questions. They will be answered in time.” He turns around, then pauses at the door to look over his shoulder. “Just know that you are here because your skills have singled you out, and you are to take advance training courses over the following weeks. Those who are able to complete their training,” he looks directly at Gabriel, “will be given great opportunity in the future. Do try your best here.” 

He turns again, no-nonsense, and crosses the threshold into the tower. The escort closes in.

It hits Gabriel then, suddenly and without warning, that he is no guest here. He is a prisoner. 


	2. Chapter 2

“Do you think they’ll be in today, Jack?” Reinhardt asks during their breakfast. His voice, normally booming and nearly shaking the walls, is soft around the question, like he’s unsure if this is something they are allowed to discuss.  _ And maybe he’s right _ , Jack thinks. They weren’t given a lot of detail - just that they needed to watch out for some mages who were...less suited to life in the circle.

Jack immediately thought the worst. Were they bringing  _ Abominations  _ here? Or mages with a taste for blood magic? A shiver goes down Jack’s spine. Most of the mages here were rather docile. They did their assignments, practiced control over their spells, read a lot of books in the old library, and spent their time gossiping or keeping to themselves. 

Some of the children Jack felt bad for, especially the little ones who had come into their power early, at eleven or even ten. There was nothing to be done, though. They were safer here in a controlled environment, and not allowed loose in the streets. They would learn to accept their new family here in time.

Jack finally shrugs at Rein’s question. “Maybe. Everything’s been ready for the new arrivals for days.” He pushes his food around his plate. “These mages are from Rivain.” He says, a little worry coloring his tone. “Do you think they’ve been corrupted by the Seers there? Those women allow themselves to be possessed by spirits just to commune with them. Could you imagine?” Jack frowns, but Rein seems interested. 

“They can do that without turning into Abominations?” Rein asks, head turning to the side. 

Jack lifts his tankard and shakes his head. “That’s what I’ve heard. Though I think we’re in luck,” Jack says, deciding he’s done with breakfast. He stands from the table. “None of the transferees seem to be women.”

Rein nods, lost in thought for a moment. “Well. I hope they let us talk with them at least!” He stands up, too. “I’d love to get to know more about Rivain! I’ve only been to Ferelden’s coast. Think of all the things we would learn if we just asked.” 

Jack makes a face, but only when he’s turned away from Rein. He appreciates the man’s resourcefulness and optimistic way of approaching things, but he wishes he’d be more cautious when it came to mages. 

Jack grew up on a farm in the outskirts of Lothering, a smaller town sitting on the southwest tip of Lake Calenhad. He’s used to the areas around the lake, and used to the tales of the circle. He joined the Chantry as an apprentice Templar while he was still fairly young, finding the pay sufficient to send back to his family, and the work, training, and study good for his mind and body. It kept him busy, paid, and well fed. He felt it was his duty to give back, so to speak. 

Growing up, the Chantry tells young recruits the horrors of abominations, mages who were too weak-willed or vying for power who allowed demons to possess them. He’d heard tales of young children accidentally burning their home to the ground, killing their family in the process. And he’s heard of the evils and misuse of blood magic, and how your very soul could be corrupted by the use of such forbidden and forgotten magics. 

He respects Reinhardt, he really does. The man is a few years his senior, and deceptively well studied, despite his massive frame suggesting otherwise. He is always of good humor, and an excellent ear for a troubled mind. But his trust runs too deeply for Jack’s taste, and his curiosity has gotten him in trouble more than once. 

_ But it’s never been anything serious _ , Jack concedes, lost in thought while cleaning up the remains of their meal. Renhardt is no idiot, and Jack could do well to loosen up some when it comes to their charges. They are just people after all. 

Mostly.

\--

Jack spends the majority of his afternoon sparring with other templars in a spare room. It’s a good way to spend time, and Jack’s always felt that it’s given him a nice connection to his fellows. He doesn’t talk to most of the men and women stationed here, not for any real reason, but he’s been content to spend time on his own. Reinhardt sought him out early on, and they’ve been friends for years, which Jack is infinitely grateful for. He sometimes finds it hard to really reach out and make connections with others.

Early childhood on a farm will do that to a person. Growing up the rest of the way in the Chantry just cements it. 

Jack sets down his sword, leaning it against the wall as he takes a moment to catch his breath. The itch in his throat was back, and even though he hadn’t used any of his abilities during the fight, he felt the drain of energy hitting him all the same. He could tell the others felt it, too. 

He sighs, grabbing his things and standing up straight, and makes his way to the armory. 

“Good evening,” He nods at the older man standing off to the side. “I’m getting low again.” He says, and the man smiles and moves away for a moment. He returns with a small glass bottle, filled nearly to the brim with a faintly glowing, blue liquid. 

“Take it easy on the Lyrium, boy.” The man says. “You’ll never know when we might be needing it for real. Can’t go handing these around all willy nilly now, can I?” He hands the bottle over to Jack anyways, but gives him a long and hard look.

“I will, I’m sorry. I’ve been training a lot recently.” Jack pushes the bottle into a pouch. 

“And that’s all well and good. Try not to push yourself too hard, though. Okay?”

Jack nods. “Yes, thank you. Have a good evening.”

The man simply shakes his head, a little smile on his face. He almost looks pitying, and while Jack understands why, he feels weird about it all the way back to his room. 

His hands are shaking slightly by the time he’s got the bottle out and in his hands. He just needs one sip, that’s it. It would take the edge off, keep him from being so… tired.

The liquid inside is iridescent; brilliant colors swirling around together, creating a beautiful sheen of teal and green, light blue and silver. The lyrium doesn’t have much of a flavor, but more of a cooling effect. He can taste the chill on his tongue and follows it as it goes down his throat.

Almost instantly, he feels rejuvenated and calm. The tremors in his hands stop, the heaviness of his eyes lessons. He sighs, putting the cap back on the bottle and storing it under the bed with his other keepsakes. 

He hears the thumping down the hall well in advance of his door flinging open. “Jack!” Reinhardt bellows. There he was, the man Jack knew. Not so quiet like this morning. “Jack! The ferry was spotted heading this way only moment ago! The mages are incoming!” Rein is smiling widely, excited for the opportunity to meet not only new people, but new mages. Especially ones from a different county. 

“I’m coming.”

\--

Jack notices two things immediately. One, none of the mages brought along on this journey seem happy. And two, one of them, a taller man around Jack’s own height, has a scowl on his face, and his arms crossed in defiance in front of him. Jack already knows this one will be trouble. 

He watches as Petras gives a dry and basic explanation about why they are there, and it doesn’t escape his eye how the tall man seems to shrink back after a second. Jack guesses he’s understood his place here now. Didn’t figure this one would back down like that so easily. He looks ready to either jump out of his own skin, or pick a fight. Maybe both.

Once Petras leaves, however-

“Got a load of river muck stuck to my good boots.” A grumbling voice says. “Why hasn’t anyone thought to make this landing spot more hospitable? Do they like tracked mud all over the halls?” Jack hears one of the other mages let out a light chuckle in response. 

Jack narrows his eyes. Was this mage trying to lighten the mood somehow? Jack can respect that, considering the looks of the other mages. But now really isn’t the time for such comments. If Commander Petras overhears… there’ll be consequences. 

Once they are all safely up and away from the shoreline, Rein speaks up, as jovial as ever. “Good evening! We’re all very happy to see new faces around the place!” Jack blinks. Is that true? “I’m Reinhardt, and this here is my good friend Ja-” He swings his arm out, nearly knocks Jack on the top of the head, then places a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Ah, sorry! Anyway! We’re assigned to you until you get your bearings, okay? Any questions, ask the two of us, or the more senior mages on your floor. We’ll get you all some fresh clothes and show you to your beds. Sound good?” Rein smiles broadly, looking out at the small group in front of him. 

There are murmurs of agreement among them, and Jack sees the tall one roll his eyes before looking down at his boots again. 

“Come along!” Rein shouts, turning and following the short path to the entrance of the circle. The mages follow behind him, the tall one lagging. 

Jack takes up the rear, and leans somewhat into the man’s space. “Do you have a problem, mage?” He asks, not looking the man in the eye. 

He can hear the contempt in the other’s voice. “Of course I do. I was pulled from my home, my friends, and my family with little warning. I didn’t get to say goodbye. I barely had time to pack my things. It’s bullshit and you know it, blondie.”

Jack scoffs. “That is not my name. Though I do understand your concerns. I don’t believe this is a permanent assignment.” 

The man only looks more sour. “Don’t give a rat’s ass  _ what _ your name is. Not if you’re gonna go around calling me  _ mage _ .” He sighs, looking back at the lake. Jack knew it wasn’t swimmable by any means. They’d had enough runners test that theory out, many failing to get further than halfway before they were sucked up by the undertow. The high point of this section of the lake made it dangerous. 

“I wouldn’t get any ideas, m-” Jack stops himself and clears his throat. “The waters are deadly; cold and move quickly under the still surface. Wouldn’t risk it.” He straightens up. “If you don’t want me calling you mage, what  _ should  _ I call you, then?”

The man gives Jack a hard stare, eyes flicking back and forth over his face as if he’s studying Jack. Jack doesn’t let himself shrink under the look. “Gabriel.” He says once they reach the main gates. “It’s Gabriel.”

“Welcome Gabriel.” Jack says with a small smile on his face. He reaches out with his right hand. “I’m Jack.”

Gabriel ignores the offered hand, preferring to keep his arms crossed. “I said I didn’t care.” He looks at Jack from the corner of his eye, then smirks when he sees a frown. “Be seeing you,  _ Jack _ .”

Gabriel jogs up to the front of the group, away from Jack and nearer to Rein. He leans in to speak with the other mages for a few moments, then settles in his spot when Petras greets them in the main entrance hall. 

Jack zones out while Petras gives a short speech on rules, what’s to be expected of the mages while they are here, and suchlike. He’d heard the same words with each new addition, and a lot of the residual excitement that Rein rubbed off on him had started to fade. 

He knows Gabriel is going to be some sort of problem, but he isn’t sure what type yet. All Jack knows is that the man was powerful. He had to be, otherwise he never would have been picked for the training. Only one mage from their own tower had made the cut. Two others from Orlais had come in last month as well. Jack knows better than to ask too many questions, so he knows very little. To be fair… he doubts anyone will tell him important information regardless if he asks or not.

Once the mages are led away by a senior mage, Jack lets himself relax. Rein scoots over to him slowly, and leans down to be more eye level. “You doing alright?”

Jack shrugs. “I’ll be fine, yeah. One of the new mages seems prickly. Has a mouth on him. Might have to correct that if it keeps up.”

Rein shakes his head. “Let them be, Jack. You don’t know what they’ve lost. Give them all time and they will come around eventually, I promise you.”

“How can you promise that, though? We’ve had plenty of attempted rebellions before.” 

Rein pauses a moment, quiet on the walk back to their quarters. “I just have a good feeling about these ones, is all.”

This makes Jack laugh. “Reinhart, you’ve got good feelings about everyone.”

“Maybe I do.”


	3. Chapter 3

The morning after Gabriel settles in, he’s greeted to a swarm of younger and older mages alike, all with wide eyes and even wider smiles. 

One young girl speaks up first, nearly bouncing with her energy. Gabriel hasn’t even scraped the sleep from his eyes. “Sir! Sir is it true you’ve been chosen for the training? Is it true you’re all the way from  _ Antiva _ ? Do you have an accent? Please I want to hear it! Please, sir!”

Gabriel almost feels guilty for crushing this girl’s dreams so quickly. “Sorry, I’m from Rivain. We don’t have much of an accent there. Too many people coming and going…”

The girl’s shoulders fall, but she looks determined. “Well you’re the one, though, right? The one everyone’s been talking about?”

Gabe blinks at her, then scans the rest of the small crowd. All of them look on expectantly. “I... I guess I’m one of the people? What are they saying about me?”

An older man in the back speaks up first. “That you’ve had one of the shortest Harrowings on record. That you overcame one of the strongest demons in the Fade. That you’ve been a quick study, and have mastered all that you’ve picked up!”

Gabriel starts to feel self-conscious. Most of these things said were true, in some way. But...not to the extent that these people seem to think. “Oh. Well. Yes, but-”

The crowd suddenly erupts in chatter, all of them asking questions all at once. Gabriel can feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, unused to the attention. “Please, can you just-”

“Settle down, people! Clear off, please, thank you!” Calls a voice from the doorway. Gabriel looks up to see the top of a blonde head picking out over all the people. He almost feels thankful.

Jack comes in closer once a good majority of the other mages clear out to their respective spots. “See you’re pretty popular already.” 

Gabriel makes a face. “What of it?” 

Jack shrugs. “Nothing, just an observation. Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

“Who’s asking?”

Jack frowns, looking rather frustrated. Gabriel feels accomplished. “Me, and the senior mages. They are asking after you. You’re to be shown around the tower today. Then after that, they said you’re to report for preliminary training.”

“So soon?”

Jack moves over and leans against a nearby wall. His templar armor clinks against the cold brick. That’s something Gabriel already misses. The warm, humid nights, air salty from the ocean, spicy from the dock markets, and sweet from the wine and ales. This place just smells of rock, sweat, fire, and anxiety. 

“And that’s all they’ve told me,” Jack’s saying. Gabriel has a feeling he’s missed something. 

“Alright. Who’s to drag me around and show me off, then? You, I take it?”

Jack laughs. “No, I won’t have the great fortune of showing you off today, sorry. I am just a lowly messenger sent to fetch you.” He does a little bow after pushing off the wall. “You’re to go back to the main hall once you’ve eaten. Don’t take too long, though. The older mages can get rather impatient.” Jack gives Gabriel a nod and walks off without another word, but Gabriel knows that won’t be the last he sees of Jack today. He can feel it.

\--

Gabriel is bored to tears by the time he’s dropped off at the top of the tower. The senior mage who showed him around bids him farewell, and good luck. The tour was as long as the hairs sprouting from the old man’s nose. It was a torturous affair, being forced to smell all the staleness and learn the terrible history of this circle...Gabriel didn’t understand why any of this mattered. He only knows that he much rather would have preferred Jack on this trip around the world. At least he could have bothered him the whole time and gotten away with it. Mostly.

There’s a pair of templars in full armor standing on either side of the door. This bothers Gabriel for reasons he can’t quite place immediately, but the look of the two men sets off his nerves.

They open the large doors for him once he gets closer. The first thing that hits him once he enters the chamber is the vastness of the space. The ceilings here are incredibly tall, and natural light flows in from above much better than those tiny castle-like windows around the rest of the hold.

Gabriel can see small particles of dust floating through the air, getting caught in the light. It would have been nice here, if not for the circle of cots in the center of the room. The other members of this training were all standing awkwardly by a cot, likely told to wait until everyone was present. 

Another older man, one who looks worn down, but still trying to keep up appearances, steps into the middle of the cots when Gabriel claims the last one.

“Hello everyone. I’m Vernand, and I am helping Knight Commander Petras with this training. All of you were chosen because of your raw skill, and ability to learn quickly and efficiently. This first few sessions will simply be to test where you are at, and what you each excel in so we know how to move forward.” Everyone in the room nods slowly, even if Gabriel’s sure not a single one of them really knows what they are getting into.

Vernand claps his hands together, and a few other mages along the side of the room draw closer. Three of them are holding a small glass phial in one hand, and a thin blade in the other. A few of the recruits, the ones Gabriel guesses have been around for a little while, just watch idly. They don’t seem worried like the ones who journeyed with him.

“Those of you who are new to these halls, we will be taking a small sampling of your blood. This keeps you safe, and lets us find you should you ever be lost. Please place out a hand. This shouldn’t hurt as long as you stay calm.”

One of the helpers closes in on Gabriel, and he takes a step back. The young boy holding the phial looks tired, though, and Gabriel realizes he doesn’t particularly want to be here either. So he steels himself, and offers his left hand, palm up. 

The boy looks at him appreciatively. His voice is light when he says, “Thank you. This’ll be quick.” The knife is brought up to the fleshy part of his hand, and a short, quick incision appears. It barely has time to sting before the boy grabs his hand and squeezes a good amount of blood into the phial. The glass only fills about halfway up, but the boy seems satisfied. He stores away his blade, and pulls out a small strip of fabric for Gabriel to wrap his wound with. Then he steps back, pushes a cork into the glass, and says a small incantation. Around the room, almost at the same time, each phial begins to glow faintly, then stronger still.

The helpers look at the glowing phials, nod, then walk out of the room in a line, accompanied by one of the spare guards. Gabriel isn’t happy with the flimsy strip of cloth on his hand, and unthinkingly casts a small healing spell on his palm, making the wound tingle while the flesh starts to clot over and knit back together. 

Vernand turns his head, brows furrowing in anger. He stops what he’s doing and stomps over to Gabriel immediately, one hand out in accusation “Absolutely no one told you that magic use was allowed in this room!” He spits, leaning into Gabriel’s space. 

Gabriel just looks at him. “I wanted my hand to be better, so I made it better. I didn’t realize that was a crime.” 

Vernand isn’t happy, but he sees that all Gabriel did was mend his cut, and nothing else, so after another minute, he backs down. “Fine. But see that it doesn’t happen again unless we instruct it. All magic cast in this chamber is supposed to be recorded and analyzed, understood?” This last part he directs at the rest of the room. They all nod slowly, looking at each other with some worry. 

“Now!” Vernand starts, clasping his hands together. “We begin!”

\--

Much later that evening, even after dinner is normally served, Gabriel is hauled back into the bedrooms by two Templars that have little trouble carrying him down five flights of stairs, even as weak as he felt. 

His mind isn’t working properly, he’s certain of it. Everything is spinning, and even once he’s gently laid on his bed, the room keeps moving without him.

He isn’t sure how much time passes before one of the senior mages greets him, handing him much needed water which he only slightly spills on himself. “I heard you did very well today in training.” The man praises. “They said that everyone should rest up for a while.”

Gabriel clears his throat. “When do I need to be back…?”

The man smiles. “They said they’d come get you in three days time. Rest up now.”

And Gabriel does just that.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack has been busy these past two weeks, spending a lot of his time in training on behest of his superiors, and not given much time to himself. He has a feeling they are training for a reason, some purpose that isn’t being shared, but he can’t rightly ask anyone.

While walking back to the barracks, he’s seen the mages in the training group wandering around the halls like ghosts. Something in him was curious as to what they were doing, exactly.

“Reinhardt,” Jack starts one evening. “Do you know what’s been going on upstairs? With the mages?”

Rein shakes his head. “Nope. The folks stationed up there are under some oath of secrecy. Nobody is meant to know what’s happening.” Rein points a large finger at Jack. “Personally, I don’t like it. I know you’ve seen them - looking like walking death.”

Jack sighs. “Yeah, I’ve seen them. Something’s not right.” Jack fidgets for a moment. “I’m going to ask to escort one of the mages upstairs tomorrow. Maybe I can talk to them on the way, get some answers…”

“Hm. Good luck with that. Be careful, Jack. Don’t go making them suspect anything.”

“I know better than that. I just need to know.”

\--

The following afternoon was slated to be another training session, and Jack got permission to help. So without giving it any thought, he’s headed towards the main lodging. The room is large, housing many beds all in neatly packed rows, with trunks of personal effects at the end. He spots Gabriel before the other man sees him, and makes his way over slowly.

When he’s close, Gabriel attempts to sit up in bed a little, but fails to get his elbows under him. “Ah...Jack. What a sight for sore eyes.” He slides one foot off the bed, leaving it dangling an inch above the floor. “Come to collect me, I take it?”

Jack smiles politely and scoots closer to the bed, trying to figure out how best to help Gabriel up without hurting him. “Yes, I offered to take you today.”

Gabriel smiles. “How sweet. I’m not going.”

“What do you mean?” Jack asks. Gabriel just looks at him for a long time, face a bit slack, eyes bloodshot with dark, bruise-like coloring underneath. Jack lets himself look at the way Gabriel’s shoulders seem almost too weak to hold up his neck, how his hands shake when he pulls them into his lap, and the ashen tones of his skin. All the warmth was sucked from Gabriel. Jack isn’t sure what to do.

He hasn’t seen another mage in such a state since after the Rite of Tranquility. But blessedly the mages after that procedure don’t have the ability to even be aware of their condition. Gabriel is very much aware, and tries to shrink away from Jack’s scrutiny. 

Jack feels bad, but he cannot go against orders. So instead he closes in on Gabriel, an apologetic look on his face, and reaches out. He slides one careful hand around Gabriel’s middle, under his armpit, and the other around his waist in an attempt to carry him over his shoulder. 

Gabriel lets out a low moan of pain and complaint. “No, Jack. Please…” He coughs. “They are trying to kill us in there.” His voice lowers to a whisper, hoarse and frightened. “Whatever they are doing, it's killing us. Don't make me go.” Gabriel lifts one hand, places it over Jack’s chestplate. “I won't come back.”

Jack falters, heart pounding in his chest. If he brought Gabriel upstairs, there was a possibility, however slim, that this man would not be leaving again under his own strength. But if he ignored the Knight Commander...things wouldn’t be good for either of them.

Gabriel slings an arm over Jack’s neck and buries his face in the leather gorget of his armor, almost clinging to him like a lifeline.

In that moment, Jack makes up his mind.

He keeps one arm around Gabriel’s middle, the other reaching down to keep at least one leg up and steady, and he quickly makes his way down to his quarters. Gabriel is much lighter than he looked that first night, and that in itself is worrying enough, but to make matters worse, he’s also silent, and free of any sarcastic retorts. 

\--

Once Jack makes it to his room, he gently lowers Gabriel to the bed, and begins to fuss with getting water, some sort of snack, and extra blankets. He tended to get chilled in his bed, despite the generally moderate temperature of the barracks. Something to do with the lyrium, he’d been told years before. He didn’t question it much.

“Will you be able to drink this?” Jack asks, holding out a squat clay cup, and a pitcher half full with clean water. “Can you sit up?”

Gabriel nods, his exhaustion even worse in the dim light of this room. He does his best to sit up without any assistance, eventually leaning up enough to not spill anything on himself, then holds out his hand. “I’m fine, thanks.” He says, not sounding very fine at all, Jack thinks.

Jack tilts the pitcher, the water inside running slowly, but clean, and cold. The pitcher itself was enchanted to always provide such water by one of the Tranquil mages. Their resistance to lyrium made them perfect for crafting such things normally only dwarves could provide. 

Gabriel takes the water before Jack’s even had a chance to hand it to him, and gulps it down quick enough to make Jack’s stomach hurt by watching him. “Thank you,” Gabriel hands the cup back.

“Of course,” Jack pulls up a chair to the side of the bed while Gabriel scoots back down into a more comfortable position. “Do...do you mind telling me what you are put through in this  _ training _ ?”

Gabriel’s eyes are closed, though he takes a deep breath to explain. “We’re being forced into the fade each time, and given over to creatures I’ve never even seen before. We either learn to take them out, or we die. One of the others...he might not make it. I think he’s losing parts of himself in that place.” Gabriel opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling. “I fear he’s going to give up soon.”

Jack stays quiet for a long time, considering what he’s just heard. Was this really training the mages? Or was this all an elaborate way to kill the best and the brightest of the circles? Jack furrows his brow, lips drawing into a thin line. “Gabriel,” He starts, worried that the other will close up if he words things incorrectly. “Is that mage you’re talking about... _ you _ ?”

Gabriel doesn’t answer right away, just continues to slowly blink at the ceiling, contemplating the stones and cracks. Then the tips of his mouth curl up, and he lets out a deeply pained laugh. He turns to look at Jack. “I was wrong about you.”

“How so?”

“You’re smarter than you look, Jackie-boy.” He coughs once, but doesn’t let the small smile on his face fade away. 

Jack doesn’t have a response for him at all. Through the use of a nickname, and the fact that Jack was likely right with his suspicions, he feels strange about this entire situation. “They will know I kept you.” 

“I know. I’m sorry to drag you into this mess.” Gabriel turns away again.

Jack sighs. “I chose to take you here to let you rest. I didn’t have to do that.” Even while he says this, he knows deep inside that he never would’ve dragged Gabriel in this state all the way to the top of the tower. He couldn’t do that to a man, not even to a mage. 

“Yeah, well. Point still stands.”

“I suppose. I’m going to grab something for you to eat.” He stands, hands pushing off his thighs for leverage. “Don’t-”

“Go anywhere?” Gabriel finishes for him. Jack rolls his eyes, less nervous now that Gabriel was joking with him. 

\--

When Jack returns, however, that lighter feeling dies instantly. Three other templars are surrounding Jack and Reinhardt’s shared quarters, with Rein far to the side, looking anxious and a little guilty. 

His head pops up when he sees Jack approach. “Jack! Jack!” He pushes through the crowd, which is not difficult at all with his stature, and clasps his hand over Jack’s shoulder. “I am so sorry, Jack. I shouldn’t have said anything, but I was worried!” Jack’s heart sinks.

He scoots past the other templars and leans into the doorway, eyes flicking over to his bed. Gabriel is there, thank the gods, but he’s sitting up, and being questioned by Petras himself. 

“Commander-” Jack says, getting the man’s attention. Petras turns around, face blank, waiting for an explanation. “This is my fault, I brought him here because he appeared weakened and in need of some sort of recovery. I should not have determined his status on my own, I understand that now. I take full responsibility.”

Petras continues to stand there, and Gabriel makes a pointed attempt to not look at him at all. But he does have the decency to appear properly guilty, which Jack appreciates. 

“I see.” Petras says. “You’re to personally escort him to training, in three day’s time. Am I clear?”

Jack nods even in his confusion, giving a small, thankful bow. “Yes.”

“Good, then it’s settled. Do be sure not to do this again in the future. Think you can handle that, Morrison?”

“Yessir.”

Petras leaves with the other templars in tow, and once they are out of view, Jack deflates. Gabriel slowly lifts himself from the bed, almost stumbling over the chair next to it.

“Gabriel, don’t.” 

Gabriel pauses and looks up. 

“Stay down here tonight. I can sleep in the chair, or on the floor. It won’t be the first time.”

Gabriel stares at him, then lets himself fall back into the bed. In another wordless moment, he’s settled and looking like he’s ready for a long night of quiet sleep. “Thank you,” He mutters, sounding almost embarrassed. 

Jack lets out a breath, and thinks on Petas’ words.

This couldn’t be good. 


	5. Chapter 5

The three days pass by far too quickly for Gabriel’s liking. He’s not quite sure  _ where _ the time goes, but he figures its passing by the light coming and going from the windows.

Jack stops in a few times each day to deliver meals and more fresh water, and sometimes just to talk. Gabriel appreciates the company. While he’s not at all alone in the large room where his bed is located, he feels isolated amongst the many who had been here for months, years before his arrival. He felt some sense of desperate camaraderie with the other mages in training with him, but Jack is the only person Gabriel would consider a friend. 

When Jack comes in the morning of the third day, a snack and some water in hand, he looks regretful. 

Gabriel knows why.

“Don’t worry too much, Jack. That asshole’s just trying to scare you I bet.”

“Maybe. Something feels off, though. I don’t like it.”

“None of us like it.”

Gabriel accepts the snack, a small piece of spiced bread, with some cheese shoved inside. He eats it too fast, and drinks the water just as quickly.

“I was hoping you’d take your time with that, so we might stall a little bit…” Jack admits, one of his hands clenching in the red fabric on his sides. 

Gabriel shrugs. “Was hungry. And there’s no use delaying the inevitable. I don’t think I’ll die today, which is better than I was doing last time. So there’s that.”

“I suppose. Didn’t expect you to be eager to get there is all.”

Gabriel looks amused. “Eager to get there? Oh no, not one bit. Eager to get it over with, though? Absolutely. C’mon.”

He can feel Jack’s eyes on the back of his head as he passes him and walks through the doorway, but it doesn’t take long at all for Jack to catch up. And it’s not difficult to hear him coming with that armor. Gabriel wonders briefly how strong this man must be to wear that so frequently.

They start up the second flight of stairs together, then Gabriel turns and asks, “Hey Jack, how long have you been in this dump?”

Jack shrugs. “Since I was about eleven I think? So...about thirteen years or so now. Why?” 

Gabriel pauses in the stairwell. “Start you all off young, huh?” He shakes his head. “Not much different for us though. I guess I’m just wondering what brings people into this life is all. A lot of the templars here are...less kind than you. ‘Cept that loud man who brought us all in.”

“Reinhardt is kind to most everyone, yes.”

“Yeah, him. Between you and me,” Gabriel starts, voice soft, “You and him are the best ones in his whole joint. Everyone else? They all wish us mages were dead, probably. Or at least made ineffective.” 

“What do you mean? Our job is to protect you.”

Gabriel shakes his head as they begin the trek to the fourth floor. “No, not really. Maybe at first, protect the young ones from themselves, but later? Once we’ve been trained and passed our Harrowing? I don’t think that’s the main objective anymore. Even in the place I was, with the freedoms we were allowed, things happened in there to the mages. I know other places got it worse though.” He makes a face. “Problem is, your order treats us like prisoners, not people. Not usually, anyway.” 

“You are not prisoners here!” Jack argues, upset that Gabriel would say something like that. 

“Can we leave?”

Jack falters. “Well, no, but-”

“Then this is a prison. No matter how you sugarcoat it, that’s what it is. I’m sorry, Jack. Your commanders aren’t good people.” 

Jack is silent up until the final floor, and only makes a single noise of thanks when Gabriel opens the door for him to walk through. 

In front of them are the same two guards as always, and some others who Gabriel hasn’t seen before. 

When they move in towards Jack, Gabriel realizes what Jack was afraid of. 

The templars grab Jack with a force he’s never seen, and he’s surprised at how easily Jack goes, carried off like he weighs nothing. They bring him to an empty cot, nearby an elder mage who holds his hand out eagerly. 

Jack is far enough away in this small room that Gabriel cannot hear what he’s saying clearly, but based on the tone of his voice, and the raw fear and confusion in it, Gabriel guesses Jack is asking why, and asking them to let him go. 

The two templars at the door usher him inside the main room, pushing him towards the cot he’d been calling his own this whole time. There are more elder mages in this room than before, one for each cot, Gabriel realizes. It didn’t look like they’d be forced into the Fade. Gabriel isn’t sure whether he’s supposed to feel relief or fear. He turns his head a bit so he can see Jack pretty clearly from his position. Jack had to be strapped down to prevent him from dropping out of the cot. 

“Let me go! I am not a mage!” He’s saying, voice clearer. “Let me out!”

The older mage by his cot smiles calmly at him. “Now now,” He’s saying. “Yelling like that won’t stop this, it’ll only make it worse for you by the end, okay? Just lie there and relax. We’re  _ very _ interested in what this particular experiment can do.”

Gabriel sees the man holding what looks to be a small phial of lyrium in one hand, while his other glows that unearthly blue. He passes the glowing hand over Jack’s stomach and chest, and Jack starts screaming almost instantly. His back bows up, then backwards into the cot, like he’s trying to buck the pain away from his body. 

Gabriel is frozen in place. He can’t move his body. He can’t even call out.

He moves his eyes over to the mage nearest him, and watches as this man casts something on him, some sort of holding spell. Gabriel wasn’t in pain, but he was terrified at what they were doing to Jack. He got him into this mess. If he had just gone last time, Jack wouldn’t be hurting right now. He wouldn’t be screaming. 

The other mages in the room that Gabriel can see are pointedly looking away from Jack, uncomfortable and distressed. Gabriel wishes he could speak, move, lash out, yell, but he has no control of his body anymore. 

\--

When they are finally let go that night, when Jack is untied from the cot, he doesn’t even move. Gabriel watches his chest for breathing, and almost cries when he realizes Jack made it through that torture. Gabriel would be surprised if Jack had a voice left at all.

He limps over to Jack’s cot while the other mages are either carried back to their beds, or they slowly shuffle back themselves. Jack’s arm hangs over the cot, his fingers idly clenching and unclenching. 

“Jackie?” He asks softly, seeing if Jack was even awake enough to bring him back to the barracks.

Jack makes a small sound, then hums, “Mmm?” Which is good enough for Gabriel, frankly. He slides an arm under Jack’s shoulders, quickly realizes all this metal is going to slow the both of them down completely, then begins the slow and slightly confusing process of removing the plate armor. 

It takes him a good part of fifteen minutes, taking great care to remove the armor properly to keep it maintained, and trying not to disturb Jack too much with all the moving and manhandling. 

Once Gabriel has all of Jack’s heavy armor pieces off and pushed to the side, he very gingerly lifts him over his shoulder, makes sure he’s secure, and begins the slow descent down the steps.

One problem Gabriel quickly realizes is that Jack is  _ heavy _ , even without all the armor. It might be the dead weight of a mostly unconscious man or the fact that Jack feels very solidly built, but either way, Gabriel struggles not to drop him. He finds himself having to pause and rearrange Jack several times. 

By the time they reach Gabriel’s floor, he’s absolutely out of breath. Most days he could barely carry himself down the steps back to his bed, let alone now.

He slowly slides Jack down to the ground, sitting him up with his back against the cool ground, Gabriel sits beside him and takes a moment to himself. A few other mages walk by, but none pay him any mind beyond the occasional curious glance. Stranger things are often seen in these halls.

Jack mumbles something and tries to lift his hand and fails. Gabriel puts his palm on Jacks face, cool and damp with sweat, and holds his head steady while he tries to look into his eyes, to see if he’s coming to, or dreaming. 

Jack’s eyes are unfocused, darting around Gabriel’s face like he’s not quite sure what he’s seeing. He hums low in his throat, then turns his face into Gabriel’s hand, nuzzling into it like a cat. Gabriel isn’t sure what to do, and he stays like that, arm frozen and heart beating a mile a minute. He can feel Jack’s stubble against his skin, and the corner of Jack’s lips by his thumb. 

Gabriel swallows, trying to figure out where to put Jack for the night. He eventually decides his bed is closer, and starts to lift Jack back up from the floor. More people walk by, glancing their way.

Strange things, indeed.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been nearly two months since that first ‘training’. Each time Jack was made to collect Gabriel, and each time he got caught and became part of the experiments. After the third session, he stopped resisting, but they still put on the show of tying him down to make an example of him, he figured. What did it really matter now?

The mages who worked on him rotated out occasionally, but all were overly excited - in Jack’s opinion - with his progress. What progress he made he’s not really certain, but he had noticed...small changes, here and there. There were constant circles under his eyes, from poor sleep or something else, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t feel nearly as fatigued after training than normal, and he cannot remember the last time he needed to replenish his power with Lyrium. A strange energy thrummed under his skin, but he couldn’t draw from it to work with while sparring, so he wasn’t certain what it was. All he knew was that he felt it more when the mages were on him.

Each training session saw fewer people on the surrounding cots, and now only Jack and Gabriel remained. Their cots sat side-by-side in the middle, instead of halfway across the room like before. Jack considers it a small win. Things felt easier with Gabriel nearby. 

One of the elder mages, Vernand, approaches Jack once he’s sufficiently strapped down. He holds a large phial of lyrium in his hands, the liquid glowing faintly as he swirls it around for dramatic effect. “We’re nearly done with you.” He says, more a threat than a praise. “You’ve responded so well already, so we figured it was as good a time as any to move on to the next step.” He smiles and holds up the lyrium. 

“Is it, though?” Jack asks, not really caring for an answer. Gabriel chuckles next to him, and Jack feels the smart ass question was worth the scowl from the old man just to hear Gabriel laugh. 

Vernand draws nearer. He presses his palm against Jack’s forehead, tilting his head back and keeping it still while he starts to pour lyrium down Jack’s throat at a pace he can barely keep up with.

Two other mages move in closer, chanting softly under their breath, and casting some sort of spell that instantly heats Jack up to the point of pain. Sweat beads up and soaks his clothes, and something crawls under his skin. He screws his eyes shut as more of the liquid is forced into his mouth. 

It doesn’t even refresh him anymore, which is strange, but...not entirely unwelcome. Having to rely on lyrium so much made Jack worry for a future without the Templars. Once Vernand finishes and steps away, Jack immediately looks down at his body, worried. Very softly, just under his skin, he could see that same, gentle blue glow pulsing in time with the chanting. His entire body glows blue.

Another moment passes, then Jack’s initial shock begins to wear off, and his hearing comes back into play without a muted sort of hazy dreamscape. Sweat rolls down his temple, his chest heaving as he tries to regain his breath. He feels stretched. The heartbeat in his ears mellows, and he realizes one thing.

Gabriel is calling out to him.

“Jackie!” There’s a pause when Jack just blinks down at his arm. “ _ Jack! _ ”

Finally, Jack manages to tear away from his arm and turn to Gabriel. The other man’s eyes are wide, frightened. A mage nearby is doing something with Gabriel’s leg, but he doesn’t even seem to notice. He only has eyes for Jack.

“Jack, you’re glowing…”

Jack looks back down at himself. The glow is somewhat fading, but still visible. He laughs nervously. “Heh, yeah that. That’s uh, weird huh?” Jack says, feeling oddly like his words were slower, maybe even slurred. “Gabe?” He can hear his voice as if it’s off in the distance somewhere, like he’s hearing himself from the body of a different person. Gabriel is at his side despite the protests of the mage working on him. 

Jack remembers one final thing before the shock wears off: the feeling of Gabriel’s hands on his face.

\--

There are rumors of uprisings in the north. Whispers passed down the halls of news coming in of some explosion in Kirkwall and the surrounding lands. The templars are restless, many of them begin packing their things. A call to arms, to leave and deal with the cause. From the sounds of it, seems like the work of some Apostates, and the whole city is in turmoil. 

Jack starts to pack his bags with Reinhardt, but is stopped by Petras, who looks down at him with a sneer. “You are not permitted to leave, Morrison.” He spits. “You’ll be finishing what you started.”

Confused, Jack looks up. “I’m sorry, sir, but what? We need everyone up there to help, don’t we? Weren’t we training for this?”

Petras sighs, and Jack knows he’d roll his eyes if it wasn’t so unbecoming of a man of his status. “We need good, fit soldiers. And Morrison, you just don’t cut it anymore. Stay here. We need a few men in the tower to look after the mages anyway. You’d do wise to follow my orders.” He adds, when Jack looks close to arguing with him again.

Despite not liking it, Jack has to stand down. Reinhardt looks at him sadly, both large hands full of his belongings.

“I will miss you, Jack. It won’t be the same without you there.” Jack smiles at the big man. Rein shuffles his things around. “Hopefully this doesn’t take too long to work out.”

Jack claps Rein on the back as he walks him out of the tower. “I hope so too, my good friend. I hope for all our sakes, whatever’s gone on up there is over with soon.”

\--

The next few days bring even more talk of a ‘mage uprising’, more talk of some man from either Ferelden, or the Anderfells, causing unrest. The stories switch up the instigator often, but both are clear about one thing. Whoever this person is, they are a mage first and foremost.

Jack can’t concentrate on much these days - except for Gabe. Gabriel has been a rock for him ever since his fainting, and somehow, despite everything, Jack is the same for Gabe.

The two have spent a good amount of time together, more so recently, and with the unrest in the tower, they aren’t sure who else they can trust. Even if they aren’t meant to trust each other.

Gabriel won’t tell Jack what happened after his first round of experiments, but he does joke with Jack that this last time was eerily similar to the first.

Jack is worried he did or said something stupid or rude, but Gabriel assures him he hasn’t. 

“Gabe, you’ve got this look on your face since then that I don’t understand.” 

Gabriel turns, brow raised. “What look?” He asks, while  _ doing the face _ and looking full-well like he’s aware of what he’s doing, and what it does to Jack.

“ _ That _ look! You’re making me nervous with it.”

Gabriel smiles, a soft one, not so knowing as before, more genuine. “You did it again, y’know.”

Jack blinks. “Did what?”

“Called me ‘Gabe’.”

“I...again? When did I-”

“Before you knocked out. I didn’t have time to appreciate it then, but I do now.” Gabe scoots closer to Jack in the library where they’ve been hiding away lately.

“Is that why you keep looking at me?”

“Yes.”

Jack swallows. “Ah.”

Gabe laughs again, knocking his shoulder with Jacks, still smiling wide. 

He opens his mouth to say something else, which Jack waits patiently for, but it never comes.

Instead, one of the other Templars, one Jack only vaguely recognizes, bursts into the room. The man takes a moment to look at Gabriel’s posture, and Jack’s proximity to him, before he grits his teeth, eyes wide. “We’ve received news. The Chantry in Kirkwall is gone, the entire city in ruin and engulfed in fire. The Knight Commander failed to apprehend the suspects.” He looks at Gabriel in a way Jack really doesn’t like. “The Call for Annulment has been made.” He turns to Jack, mouth pressed thin. “Do your duty, Soldier.”

He leaves the room much like he entered, quickly, and with a purpose. 

Jack wishes he had never come.

He turns to Gabe, who is looking at him with a confused expression. “What is he saying, Jackie?”

Jack shakes his head. “We need to leave.  _ Now. _ ”


	7. Chapter 7

They are running before Gabe even has a moment to really understand the severity of the situation. The entire tower is in chaos, with elder mages Gabe had come to respect rounding up the children and trying to hide them away in unused rooms. They flinch away from Jack when they see him, but he pays them no mind, focusing only on making a path downstairs, passed the barracks. Gabe pointedly does not look at the bloody body of one mage slumped against a door as they make the trek into the basement. 

Jack pauses on the steps, the stairwell dim and the steps a little slippery. “Gabe, can you make light?”

Gabe nods, pulling a small stone for focus from his robes and letting it shine with the power of a small lantern. It is enough to make it through the basement without further problems. Jack smiles, and holds out a hand, which Gabe takes easily.

They navigate the steps quickly but carefully, and end up in a landing covered in spiderwebs and dust. Old crates and barrels dot the sides of the hall, but a path leading away and towards a far door seems fresh enough. 

“This way,” Jack says, pulling Gabe along with a purpose.

“Where are we going, Jack?” Gabe finally asks. “I don’t think we can leave from the basement.”

Jack doesn’t slow down, and turns another corner before answering. “We aren’t leaving from here, no. I need to do something first.”

“And what’s that?” Gabe looks up at a door that Jack has stopped in front of. He seems annoyed, running his fingers over some runes, and squinting at a blackened spot on the door. 

“You’ll see in a moment.” Jack mumbles. He turns around a bit later. “Do you know any fire spells? Smaller ones, preferably.” 

Gabe nods, and raises his hand to produce a small, flickering flame, very similar to the one little Fareeha had made many months ago. “Of course.” Gabe says, smiling. “What do you need me to do?”

Jack points at the dark spot on the door. “I need you to blast this with fire, as hot as you can make it. But...be careful, please.” Jack takes a few steps back from the door, and places a hand on Gabe’s shoulder. 

Gabe nods, and lets the fire in his palm grow. It wasn’t unheard of to use magic without some sort of conduit, but it was harder to control. Luckily for them both, Gabe was always fond of the elemental magics, and had learned how to do much of this without the use of a staff.

He points his hand towards the door and lets loose. A blast of heat flows up his arm and out of his fingers, targeting dead-on the spot Jack pointed out, and only a few seconds pass before the runes on the door begin to light up, and the stone doors scrape across the ground, opening for them both. 

He stops the flow of fire, and lowers his hand. The only light now comes from the small stone gripped tightly in Gabe’s other hand. 

“Amazing!” Jack says, eyes full of awe. “I’m surprised that worked as well as it did!”

Gabe scoffs. “What, did you doubt me?”

Jack laughs, and walks into the room beyond the doors. “No, not you. I wasn’t sure that’s what the door needed. But it smelled like flame and ash, and that spot was rather dark, so I figured…”

Gabe shakes his head. “Glad I didn’t accidentally set off some sort of trap.” Gabe jests, elbowing Jack in the side as he passes him. Metal to the elbow doesn’t really feel good at all, he realizes.

“Gabe, be careful in this room. Don’t touch anything.” Jack says, weaving through several artifacts and strange statues. 

“What’s with this place? Out of reach and heavy security, you’d think all this dusty junk was cursed or something.”

Jack hums. “Much of it is.”

“What?”

Jack shrugs, armor clanking. “It’s what we’ve all been told. The collection serves both as a deterrent against would-be thieves and also for historians to study. Carefully.”

“Weirds me out.” Gabe says, feeling like he’s being stared down by some old statue. 

Jack leads them both to another door, this one partially hidden by a bookshelf. It looks like whoever was last here didn’t do a good enough job setting things back into place. Gabe looks down as they cross the threshold into the next room and sees the metal track where the shelf moves. It was curious work to go through just to hide a door.

Once Gabe looks up at the room, however, he understands. 

The room itself has an eerie blue glow, much like that of lyrium. Low-lying mist clings to the floors and the edges of the walls, and the ceiling towers over the both of them in a sharp vault. The room could rival that of many grand entrance halls for its size and grandeur. Half of it is covered in a thin layer of ice, with large, imposing stone statues embedded into the walls.

The other half of the room is full of shelving and crates, filled with phials of blood. All sorts of shapes and sizes of glass, some of them look remarkably old and covered in dust and webs. Near the foot of a statue, with a pedestal at its base, sits a small crate with the phials Gabe recognizes. These ones look new. His was in there somewhere.

Jack walks up some short steps to the pedestal, and crouches beside the crate. “Gabe, I need you over here, please.”

Gabe cautiously moves forward, careful of his footing and wary of his surroundings. Something felt very _off_ about this place. “What do you need me to do?”

Jack reaches out behind himself, hand out. He wiggles his fingers like an offering. Gabe takes Jack’s hand in his own. Moments later, he watches Jack silently pull out a faintly glowing phial. “Got it!” Jack says, standing up. He lets go of Gabe’s hand.

Gabe finds he misses the contact. “That’s it?”

Jack nods. “Sure is. Watch.” He holds onto the phial and closes his eyes, reciting an incantation under his breath. The phial then glows brightly, almost pure white, the light filling the entire room. “If I wish, I could find you anywhere in the world with this. It would glow brighter the closer you got to me.” He pauses. “It. The closer you got to _it._ ”

Gabe nods, eyes not on the phial, but on Jack. He looks strangely beautiful in this unearthly light, the glow brightening up his face in such a way that removes all traces of the damned training beating him down. 

“I should be able to shatter it on the ground, which will prevent anyone from finding you once you leave. You’ll be free from the templars forever. It’s the safest way.” He holds up the glass, but Gabe rushes forward.

“No!” He yells, catching Jack’s hand. “No. Wait, Jack.”

Jack lowers his hand, and Gabe’s hands clasp over his. “Why? This is dangerous to keep around. They could find you so _easily_ , Gabe.” Jack looks worried, his voice taking on a softer, more private tone. “We don’t…. _they_ don’t take lightly to runaways.”

Gabe shakes his head, and pushes Jack’s hand to his chest. “Keep it.”

“What?”

Gabe smiles, stepping in closer. “I want you to have it. So you can always find me.”

Jack looks like he wants to argue, but Gabe keeps him quiet with a swift kiss on the lips. He doesn’t even have to think if it’s the right call. He knows it is once Jack melts into the kiss, like he’d been waiting for one this entire time. Maybe he had.

When Gabe breaks off, a little pink in the face, Jack pulls the phial close to his body. He whispers something to deactivate the glowing, and puts it snugly into a side pouch of his. “It’s safe with me, Gabe.”

There’s a loud blast, and a rumbling above them that knocks tiny shards of ice off the walls. Jack curses. 

“You need to run. Now. Use the confusion upstairs and leave through the front gates.” Jack says, pulling Gabe to the entrance of the room. 

Gabe pauses. “What about you, Jackie?” He asks, not understanding why Jack was acting like they weren’t going to leave out of this place together. 

“I need to secure some things here, but I’ll be right behind you, okay? Grab what you can, and go. I need you to be safe.” He uses the momentum of a quick tug on the arm to pull Gabe into a tight hug. Gabe never felt more comforted by a hug in his life. He trusted Jack.

“Be safe.” Gabe says, one hand moving from Jack’s face to his throat. Jack swallows. 

“You too.”

Gabe takes only a second more to stare at Jack before he’s rushing out of the crowded room, up the steps, and to his quarters. The place is a complete disaster. He spots some younger mages hiding under their beds, covered by debris and blankets. He wishes he could help them somehow, but moving in a group would be impossible, and dangerous. 

He doesn’t take much with him, just grabs the clothes he packed when he first came to this cursed place as the simple mage robes he’s wearing now are too easily noticed.

And, through all the terror and noise, Gabe slips out into the night.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack isn’t able to keep his promise to Gabe, no matter how much he wishes he could. 

It takes him hours to leave. Once he makes it back to the barracks, to pack items he’ll need, and a change of clothes as templar armor isn’t exactly inconspicuous, he hears one of his fellows screaming down the hall.

Jack freezes, his brain working overtime to consider the risks of going to help, but he’s not able to leave someone behind like this. He curses and leaves his things on his bed. He draws his blade as he walks around the corner. 

What he sees he almost doesn’t rightly believe. 

In front of him is a hulking beast of a creature. Arms thick and bulging and hanging loosely as if ripped from their sockets. The back of the creature is bulbous, inflated with muscle and fat, clothing ripped at the seams. The face is nearly unrecognizable as something that was perhaps human once. 

It lumbers down the hall, a terrible, bone-chilling shriek falling from its mouth as it nears a woman Jack had sparred with many times before. He knew she was strong, stronger than him possibly, but the fear in her heart paralyzes her, and Jack knew she wasn’t going to make it if he did nothing.

He rushes down the hall, pushing her out of the way and takes a large swing at the abomination. He’d only read about these wretched things before, never seen one in person. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to get the image of it out of his mind after today…

A large gash appears across the monster’s shoulder and neck, but with the irregular growth there, the wound hardly seems to bother it. 

Jack swings his sword again, turning his body into it for added force. He tries to hit the same spot, and his blade glances off the tough flesh of the abomination, doing little damage. He cannot kill it like this. The creature continues to move forward, raising its arms as if to lash out.

Jack steps back and centers himself, taking a deep breath. Inside of him, he can feel the lyrium poured into him thrumming, pulsing in time with his own heartbeat. His blood goes cold, and he can feel the energy tingling through his body as he lifts his sword in the air. 

Jack says a short prayer under his breath, and looks to the ceiling. A blinding column of light explodes into the hall, knocking the abomination back several feet, and stunning the creature with blindness. He grins, pointing his blade towards it. “You do not frighten me!” He yells, running towards the abomination and he strikes again, calling more light, a sort of blue and white flame from his blade, that slices into the monster before him.

The small gash from earlier rips open down to the chest cavity, and the abomination is no more. Its corpse, lying limply on the ground, sizzles from the two blasts.

Jack touches the pouch on his side, where Gabe’s phylactery is safely stored away. He looks at the rapidly decaying corpse and closes his eyes.  _ Andraste, please protect Gabriel on his journey. Do not let him fall victim to fear or hopelessness. Keep him safe for me. _

By the time he opens his eyes again, the remains are gone from the hall, only a small pile of clothing and viscera remains. 

Jack turns to the woman, and she blinks at him for a moment before mouthing ‘thank you’ and running off towards the barracks. Jack won’t blame her for fleeing. Not after this.

Unfortunately for Jack, his window to escape is gone.

\--

Once the keep quiets down, Jack and several other unspoiled templars are told to gather their things, and prepare for a journey south, to Redcliffe, to help quell further mage rebellion there. 

They take several boats out from Kinloch Hold, and follow the lake all the way down to the shores on the outskirts of Redcliffe’s farming area. It doesn’t escape Jack that he hasn’t needed any lyrium to replenish what he would normally lose using his abilities. In fact, it’s been ages since he felt this energized and full of vigor. Something about calling upon his abilities made him feel stronger than he’s ever felt before, and he’s no worse for wear because of it.

When the boats dock the following morning, Jack thinks back to Gabe, off somewhere in the world, hopefully laying low until this all blows over. He’s certain this rebellion will not last long, as most mages have some sort of head on their shoulders and they will understand it is pointless.

As much as Jack would like to leave, and set off to find Gabe again, he must fulfil his duty to the Chantry, and the Templar Order, and follow direction until his services are no longer needed. It pains him, but it is what’s necessary in times like these. At least that’s what Jack tells himself.

One night while lying down in a borrowed bed, Jack pulls Gabe’s phylactery from his pack, and turns it over in his hands. The blood inside isn’t glowing, nor is it warm to the touch, but that’s not too unusual. He presses the phial to his chest, letting out a slow breath to calm his nerves, and puts it back without activating it. He cannot do it, not yet. Not now. He would rather trust his instincts, and pray that Gabe was okay; that he made it out alive.

\--

After Redcliffe is silenced, Jack ends up being assigned to a convoy of templars all going west to the Frostback Mountains. A meeting at the Temple of Sacred Ashes to end this rebellion for good needs guards, and Jack is almost honored to be one picked to guard the Divine and her people. Hopefully she and the others are able to bring peace to the lands again, Jack thinks, so that he will finally be free to leave…

When the group all arrive in the Frostbacks, cold, hungry, and with their thinner clothes all drenched by the snow, Jack still hasn’t lost that burst of energy. But the skin on his face, around his eyes and mouth, has taken on a bluish hue in the veins, making him look like death, he’s sure. He touches his jaw, fingers scraping through his stubble. 

Keeping his beard long, against regulation, was one way to hide some of the discoloration, and anything that would help Jack to blend in better was a good thing in his book. 

Just as he’s contemplating what style of facial hair to grow, a familiar and much welcome voice hits his ears. 

“While I live and breathe!” Reinhardt calls out, rushing through the snow to pick Jack up and spin him around like he weighs nothing. “Jack! My old friend! It is  _ so _ good to see you!” He lowers Jack back down to the ground and reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder. “You look a mess.”

Jack rolls his eyes. “Yeah, well. Travel and fighting will do that to you.” He sighs. “It’s been a long time.” He pats the back of Reinhardt’s hand. “How have you been holding up?”

Reinhardt grabs Jack’s pack and hoists it on his back, helping Jack get things together in the small village of Haven, just below the Temple. Rein smiles once they are all situated. He’s made their area of one room out to be similar to their set up back at the Hold, and Jack appreciates it, even if it meant Rein had to move around a lot of furniture to get things to work. They’d move it back before they left, probably.

“I’ve been shipped around all over, feels like. If I never see another boat again, it will be too soon!” Rein says, laughing at himself. “I don’t think I can stomach more ocean travel.”

Jack sits down in a small chair, making himself comfortable. “I don’t blame you for that. It can be rough, I hear. I’m used to lakes, and small rivers. Nothing so arduous as the sea.”

Rein nods and kicks up his feet on an end table, nearly threatening to knock it over. “So, Jack. Tell me.” Jack looks up, nervous suddenly by the shift in tone. “How is that mage? Gabriel, I believe?” Rein’s looking at him expectantly, but for the life of him, Jack can find no words forthcoming. 

He clears his throat. “I um. You heard about the annulment, right?” 

Reinhardt nods. His eyes narrow.

“Well, you see. It’s… it was a difficult situation I was put in.”

“Uh huh. Go on.”

Jack rubs the back of his neck. Fidgets in his chair. “I may have helped him escape.” He says finally, all in a rush.

“Oh!” Rein’s demeanor changes back. “That’s good news! I was worried you’d done something incredibly stupid and unforgiveable!” He drops his feet and stands swiftly, walking over to Jack and towering over him like usual. “I’m glad you made the right decision. I could tell that man was important to you.”

Jack’s face, for the first time in a long time, heats up completely. He looks away from Rein, can’t possibly look him in the face after saying that. Reinhardt laughs and walks to the door. “You got his phylactery, right?” 

Jack manages to nod.

Rein chuckles. “Good.” He leaves the room, and leave Jack to consider all that he’s said.

\--

“So he’s okay?” Rein’s asking, later that night, once they are all in bed.

Jack sighs. “Maybe. I’m not sure. I hope he is. I want to believe he made it.”

Reinhard hums, and turns over in his tiny bed. “I hope so, too.”

That night, like every night since leaving the Hold, Jack dreams of Gabriel. He sees him trying not to be seen, and he sees him sleeping in poor conditions, looking worse for wear. But in each dream, despite what Gabe is doing, Jack always dreams of him  _ alive _ . And to Jack, that is a good sign.

\--

A few days of rest and recuperation are allowed for the templars while everyone who would be at the Conclave arrives. Jack’s seen many important people go up to the Temple, and he steels himself for a hard job keeping all of these folks safe. 

It isn’t much longer until the meeting begins, and the templars are called into place.

Jack and Rein take up station outside of the main Temple, in the entrance chambers near the doors. The Temple, once derelict and filled with snow and Darkspawn only a decade ago, had been renovated and made hospitable once again. It hasn’t seen this many people in an age, but its halls were bright and warm up in the mountains. Jack wishes he could feel the warmth, but at least the chill from under the doors didn’t bother him as much as it seemed to bother Reinhardt.

“How long do you think this will last?” Jack asks the big man, not turning to look at him. The meeting was not within view, instead taking place deep within the Temple somewhere Jack wasn’t allowed, he’s sure. Only the higher ranking templars were allowed in the same place with the Divine. 

Reinhardt shifts in his spot. “Likely a better part of the day.” He admits, not looking happy about it. 

Jack nods, and resigns himself to a boring watch.

However, there were other things at play in this Temple. Things nobody could have planned for. 

Reinhardt hears the shouting first, then both feel a deep rumble in the ground, turning to look at each other in fear before everything  _ explodes _ . 

A green blast of spirit energy shoots out from all the doors leading to the main chamber and forces Jack and Reinhardt against the farthest wall, pinning them there. The initial shockwave knocks all the air from them both, leaving their heads spinning. There’s more shouting, and alarm sounding, and another blast comes from within.

This one takes the ancient bricks with it. Jack sees a large piece of the Temple falling down towards him, and then everything turns black. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to post a quick thank you to everyone leaving kind comments and kudos on this fic, I appreciate you so much!

_ Home. _

Gabe had his sights set on Rivain since escaping the Hold. All he had on him was the clothes he arrived with, and a new pair of boots be managed to snag in the fray. 

People kind enough to house him overnight were few and far between, but he’s made it this far at least.

Where  _ this _ is, isn’t too clear for Gabe, having no real point of reference for the Ferelden countryside. He remembers the templars taking a route alongside the lake, but Gabe worries he’s gone the wrong way around. 

The lake seemed a lot smaller when he walked the path, and the weather on the road he’s on now is much less hospitable than when they were in the carriages. Smaller mountainous hills flank one side, and flat, endless grasslands stretch out from the other. Rain is a constant here, the sky breaking open every few hours to spit on him for a short while. By the time he dries off, the rain returns.

It’s a suffering Gabe isn’t used to, and frankly one he never wants to encounter again.

Days pass, and he manages to keep himself fed and sleeping in a dry place each time, somehow. The people in this country were far too trusting. But Gabe wasn’t against taking advantage of kindness if it kept him alive. 

Most of this area is farmland, with livestock and small patches of wheat, barley, hops and other grains. The farms start to grow more varied vegetables and fruits the further along he gets, and Gabe figures he’s got to be on the path to a more major city soon. These sorts of foods don’t last long in transit. 

He passes by an orchard one evening, and stops to swipe an apple off the ground. It’s small, and a little bruised on one side, but it had been warmed by the sun, and left alone from the pecking of birds, so Gabe takes it with him. He plans on eating it while he walks, but something stops him.

It’s not like he isn’t hungry. At least, he  _ should _ be hungry. He hasn’t eaten a proper meal in over a week. But his stomach isn’t growling, and his mouth isn’t dry, so he opts to keep the apple in a pocket instead. For when he needs it.

\--

Two days later Gabe arrives to Denerim. The outside gates of the city are nearly overrun with people, which is a major change from his lonely walk through the farmlands. 

People carrying goods, people yanking children, and some leading along a sheep all crowd together, causing an easy sort of chaos that allows Gabe to blend right in with the rest. He spots templars milling about the entrance, likely looking to ferret out any mages they might catch wind of. The crowd in front of him moves in waves, and pushes him through easily enough so that he’s not singled out. 

Once in the city, he makes a point to get himself a real room, with a wash basin and somewhere for him to clean his clothes. He needed to find work as soon as possible, and that would be easier to do once he looked less like a haggard beggar and more like someone trustworthy enough for a well-to-do person’s coin. 

This is all, naturally, easier said than done.

Especially with the templars stalking the streets. With every impassive face he walks by, Gabe thinks briefly of Jack, of how Jack was the only one to ever treat Gabe like a person, and with respect. He thinks of their kiss, however brief it may have been. Then he thinks of Jack no longer, for the memory of him brings only pain.

\--

It takes Gabe days,  _ weeks _ , to save enough coin to book passage on a ship returning to Rivain. Gabe immediately suspects it’s a pirate vessel, for the ship is thin, with large areas meant for storage, and even larger, swift sails. The rate to bring him to Rivain isn’t nearly as much as it should be either, but he will take whatever he can get at this point. He just needed to get out of the city. 

Too many people Gabe saw ripped from their homes - runaway mages from nearby circles, or those who had been successfully in hiding and had somehow outed themselves. People came to the city in droves each day, seeking refuge from the battles breaking out all along the roads. It made it increasingly difficult for him to find work, but he managed to secure a place at a...rather seedy smuggling operation. But the pay was good, and his job mainly consisted of taking inventory, and skimming a little off the top for the boss. 

Gabe had no connections to anyone in the city, and didn’t plan on staying long, so he was exactly the type of person this gang was looking for. He knew they meant to kill him before he was to leave. Any gang worth their salt would inevitably clean up any loose ends once their purpose was met, and Gabe’s purpose was nearing its end. So he snuck away a day earlier than planned, coin purse fat with his pay, and a few stolen gems. 

Those gems are ultimately what let him on this current ship, much to his delight. His coins could be put to use elsewhere. When looking for passage, one of the rubies caught the captain's eye, even though Gabe could clearly see more precious gems around her neck and adorning her fingers. She said it reminded her of someone, an old friend. 

“You are going to Rivain, right?” He asks her, and her immediate smile is infectious. 

“I am. If you don’t mind me asking, are you Rivaini as well? You’ve got a look about you that seems familiar.”

Gabe returns her smile. “Yes. I miss it terribly.”

Some sort of far-off look comes over her eyes then, and she sighs, glancing out onto the water. “Me too. Get on, as long as you don’t set anything on fire below deck, I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”

Gabe falters. “What?”

A knowing smile crosses her painted lips this time, one that Gabe can almost appreciate, if not for the current climate of the land regarding mages. “I won’t tell anyone, don’t worry.”

\--

On the ship, Gabe doesn’t find himself hungry anymore, though his body feels...weak, and sluggish. He sleeps most of the day away, and wakes up tired, sore, and overheated. But still, he never hungers, despite feeling empty in ways he cannot describe. 

The others on the ship watch his warily, but do not question his appetite, and consider that an opportunity to take more food at meal times for themselves. He doesn’t fault them. He’d do the same in their situation. 

Once the ship docks at Dairsmuid, and Gabe says his farewell to the captain, he makes a beeline for Ana’s house.

She lives on the outskirts of Dairsmuid, further inland, but still close enough to the coast to smell the sea air. Her house remains largely unchanged, despite the many months that have passed. Gabe has no concept of how long he’d been gone, only that he desperately misses his friend, and needs to see a familiar face.

He pointedly does not think of Jack.

The door swings open wide before he even gets a chance to knock, and he’s pulled inside with a shout of joy from Ana. Her horns nearly poke out his eye but he doesn’t care. He returns her hug happily, clinging to her like a lifeline. 

“Oh Gabriel, I cannot believe you’re back! Fareeha and I have been waiting for you, haven’t we?” Ana pulls back to look behind herself at her daughter poking her head around the doorway. Fareeha nods, but doesn’t come much closer, which isn’t completely unusual. “You don’t know how worried I’ve been!” She says, smacking him lightly on the arm. “The circle here…” She makes a pained noise. “Gabriel...all of those lovely people, their poor families…” She shakes her head. “I was so worried we were going to lose you, too.”

“What do you mean? What’re you talking about?”

Ana looks up, face red and eyes damp. “The circle, it was annulled. You’ve heard about what happened down in Kirkwall, haven’t you?”

Gabe is stunned. They would do the same thing here? None of these people were hurting anyone! He slowly shakes his head, frowning. “Some of it, yeah. The place where I was, they killed everyone there, too.”

Ana slumps down in a nearby chair, looking defeated. “It’s everywhere then. I almost can’t believe it. When will they stop this madness? Once every mage in Thedas is destroyed?”

Gabe joins her, leaning against her heavily. “It’s possible...but, not all of us were killed. A few got out, same as me. I’m sure that’s true of most places. If we lay low, and keep to ourselves until this is all over, we will be fine.”

“I hope you’re right.” Ana says, crossing her arms. She sits there in silence for a long time, not looking at Gabe, but taking his presence in, enjoying the company. 

\--

Gabe takes to not bothering with sleep any longer, as he finds going without leaves him feeling awake, while letting himself sleep makes him wish he’d never woken up to begin with. 

Ana is concerned, so Gabe hides the fact that he’s up all night better, and her concerned looks don’t drift his way as much. He can pass it off as nerves and stress from traveling. 

He drinks Ana’s tea for the flavor, and for companionship, not to quell his thirst. And he eats to keep up appearances, but it does little for him in the end. 

Each day he’s more and more distracted, being pulled down by something he cannot recognize, and he doesn’t rightly recognize himself any longer either.

He can’t keep hiding things like this.

“Ana, I think that, whatever they did to me in there, it messed me up.” 

“I’ve noticed,” She says, nodding. “I took the liberty to write to a dear friend of mine about your symptoms. He should be arriving shortly.” She says, setting down her tea. She watches Gabe carefully. 

He isn’t at all surprised. “Thank you,” He says, smiling at her.

She goes to reply, but there’s a commotion outside. People are screaming. 

\--

At around ten o’clock in the afternoon, the sky opens up.

And not in the way it normally would, with rain, hail, lightning or thunder. Those things were all perfectly well and good. But this wasn’t any of those things.

Gabe runs outside to see why people are making such a fuss, and comes face-to-face with the end of life itself. Or at least he thinks he does.

In the sky, surrounded by a massively imposing, green, swirling cloud, sits a glowing bright hole. Gabe knows from first hand experience that this leads directly to the fade. And that the hole ripped into the heavens themselves is big enough to let some very unsavory demons through. The likes of which most people haven’t ever encountered before.  _ Shouldn’t _ ever encounter. 

He backs up into the house, closes the door, and instructs Ana to keep Fareeha inside. There’s no telling what could come from that thing, and he’s not too sure how far away it is. 

Not even five minutes after Gabe closes off the world, there comes a knocking at the door. A rather polite knocking, what for all the panic outside. Gabe peaks out one of the windows. 

“Ana!” He turns, calling into the house. “There’s someone outside.”

Ana leaves her spot beside Fareeha and scoots through her living room, reaching the door in record time. She swings it wide open, without worry or care for who or what could be on the opposite side. “There you are!” She says, as cheerful as ever, if almost a little chiding. “I was worried all of this nonsense would stop you from getting here.” She moves away, making room for a young man to enter. “I trust you didn’t have many complications?”

The man smiles, bowing his head gently once he’s fully inside. “I did not. Until just now, that is.” He glances at Gabe, and something in Gabe shrinks back, wanting to stay hidden. “You must be Gabriel. Ana has told me some of your plight. Shall we sit?”

Gabe nods absently, stealing a look out one of Ana’s windows, then sitting on a low chair near the center of the room. The other two follow suit, all surrounding a short table. 

The man holds out his hands in front of himself, palms up. “My name is Zenyatta, I am a friend of Ana’s, and now, too, a friend of yours.” He tilts his head towards Gabe. “Her reports on your behavior were concerning, I must admit.” 

Gabe hums, then looks at the man more closely, eyes squinting, then blowing wide open. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but is that brand-”

“The brand of Tranquility?” Zenyatta touches his forehead, finishing Gabe’s question for him. “Yes, it is. I was once Tranquil. But there are ways to reverse the effects, of which I’m...a bit of an expert on. These methods were thought long lost to time, but it just so happens you need to know where to go looking for them. Every tome holds its secrets.”

Gabe scratches at his beard, grown during his travels. “Well, I am not Tranquil.”

“No, you are not, luckily. But what might be  _ inside  _ of you...I could potentially help draw it out. The method of reversing tranquility is rather similar.”

“Wait, you said inside of me?”

Zenyatta nods. “Ana’s descriptions were thorough, and I have come to believe you’ve got a spirit of some sort trying to use you as its host. If it has just taken...the wrong turn somewhere, I can convince it to leave with no harm coming to you.”

“What if it won’t leave?”

The patient smile that’s been on Zenyatta’s face this entire time vanishes. “Then I can do nothing for you.”

\--

Several hours pass.

Zenyatta takes his time checking over Gabriel, testing as many things as he could think of, Gabe suspects. Occasionally nothing happens, but sometimes...a dark, reddish black smoke will come from Gabe’s mouth at Zenyatta’s prodding. As if whatever was inside Gabe didn’t take kindly to the intrusion. 

He grows more resigned as time goes on, and when Zenyatta finally bends over to blow out his candles, Gabe knows this attempt is a failed one.

Zenyatta just shakes his head sadly. “This is no simple spirit, I’m afraid.” He’s saying, but Gabe almost doesn’t hear him with the sound of the blood rushing to his ears. “You’ve got a demon attached to you. Whatever those mages meant to accomplish at the Hold, they very nearly finished their work.” 

“What can I do?”

Zenyatta turns to Ana, who gestures for him to continue. “I know of one other who may be able to help you, but she is far, and her costs are often great.”

Gabe stands up. “I don’t care what her cost is, I want this  _ thing _ out of me. Where is she?  _ Who  _ is she?”

Zenyatta’s expression turns apologetic, as if telling Gabe the truth will seal his doom. Either way, Gabe was doomed to some end and he figures he might as well go down fighting. 

“Her name is Moira.” Zenyatta says. “She lives in Orlais. She runs a shop in the city of Val Royeaux, an apothecary I believe. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding her.” 

Gabe nods, already starting to gather a few of his things for travel. 

“But please, Gabriel, be warned...”

Gabe pauses. “Yes?”

The soft brown of Zenyatta’s stare feels almost like ice. “She is not what she seems.”


	10. Chapter 10

After the explosion, Jack and Reinhardt find themselves back in Haven, in their own beds, wrapped in many layers of bandages. Jack sits up in bed slowly, touching a soft spot on his head and wincing when he finds it still sore, even fresh. He couldn’t have been out long.

He takes in the room, how empty it was now, with only a few other men lying in their beds at the far end, away from the corner Reinhardt had initially made for the two of them.

Rein… was he okay?

Jack turns and blessedly spots the big man in his bed where he should be. He looks remarkably well on the body, if not for a massive wrapping covering one side of his face. Something about it doesn’t sit well with Jack at all. If his friend was hurt…

He pats spots of his body where he’s been wrapped, finding none of these areas sore any longer, and not even indicative of any previous damage. 

Well, if one was to ignore the brightness of his veins.

Jack leaves his bed and changes into his casual clothes quickly, wanting answers if he could get them. He could see people moving about outside, hurrying from one end of the town to the other.

Jack steps out into the cold, his arms crossed to keep up appearances. “Ah! Excuse me, I-” He calls out to the first person he sees, who then promptly runs off from him without even sparing an apology. Jack keeps his displeasure to himself and keeps moving forward. He sees a line of people near a large building, and decides to check out what’s going on for himself. 

A person off to the side stops him with a hand on his arm before he can get too close. “Where do you think you’re going?” A tall woman asks, hair cropped short and face severe. 

Jack blinks. “I was trying to find someone who could tell me what happened.”

The woman narrows her eyes, but looks a little surprised by his words. “Were you one of the templars who was injured in the blast?”

Jack nods.

“Oh! My apologies then.” She lets go of his arm. “I thought you were a runner not doing your duties…” She sighs. “Things have been hectic these past few days, I can tell you that much.”

“Days?” Jack asks, surprised. “I was out for that long?”

“Seems like it. But we’re glad to have you back, we need all the manpower we can afford.” She nods to a group of templars out near a frozen lake. They were training, from the looks of it. “Go report in when you’re ready, see where you’re needed.”

“Yes...ah. I’m sorry, but do you know what happened at the Temple?”

She shrugs. “Big explosion, sky opened up, and demons starting pouring out. Think that sums it up pretty nicely.”

Jack has nothing to say to that, so he nods at her, dipping his head down further than likely necessary, and jogs down to the group by the lake. Maybe he’d get actual answers here.

A blonde man greets him with a friendly clap on the back. Apparently none of the people here recognized him, or even heard about him from the experiments at Kinloch. Which was all the better for Jack. If he could blend in, it was more likely that he could find time to finish up whatever this was, and to… 

Well. To find Gabe. If he was somewhere Jack could find him.

\--

Reinhardt wakes up later that evening, to the scent of Jack bringing in a hearty dinner to the room. Jack gets through at least two potatoes before Rein is fully aware of his surroundings. “How you feeling, big guy?” Jack asks, shoving a chunk of cheese in his mouth. 

Rein gingerly touches the bandage on his face. The wounds on his body seem more severe than Jack’s. And Jack isn’t sure why, until he thinks about the glow under his skin again. Something was allowing him to heal faster…

“I need help getting these off, if you don’t mind.” Rein says quietly. Jack stands, and goes to unwrap his friends head with gentle care. “Thank you,”

“Of course,” Jack says, watching Rein as the bandages fall away. 

He gasps.

“Rein, your eye-”

“I know.” Rein touches the scarring around his eye. “There’s nothing to be done anymore. I do not blame those here for this, the damage may have been too great to heal. I’ll be fine..”

He turns to face Jack and smiles - a little crookedly - but reassuringly all the same. 

“I hope they still let me fight.”

Jack sits on the edge of Reinhardt’s bed. “I think you should focus on getting rest and healing.”

“No. Jack, you saw the same thing I did. Something’s happened. They will need us.” He looks at the nearly empty room. “They will need everyone they can get.”

Jack sighs. “This is bigger than all of us by the sound of it. We can’t stop what’s happened. There’s a hole in the sky. I heard people outside saying that demons have been falling from it, and ripping through weakened spots all over.”

Rein nods. “All the more reason to keep fighting, my friend. We’ll see where we’re needed in the morning.”

Jack can’t argue with that, so he finishes his meal, and lies down for the night. His mind drifts back to Gabe, and his heart drops with worry. What if he’s been wasting time with all this pointless fighting, while Gabe was about there,  _ needing him _ ?

“I may not be able to see you as easily, but I can still tell you are in distress. What’s bothering you?”

Jack groans and shoves his face into a pillow, muffling his speech. “I miss him.”

“Gabriel?”

Jack turns his face. “Yes. I don’t know if he’s alright.”

Jack can hear Reinhardt shifting. “What do you mean by that? Have you been unable to pick up a signal for him?”

Jack doesn’t say anything for a long time. 

“Jack?”

“I’ve been too afraid to try it.” He admits.

Reinhardt doesn’t respond directly, just hums a short sound. 

Jack closes his eyes. “I know. You’re right.”

“You should know, Jack. It will give you peace.”

Jack isn’t so sure about that. But he knows he cannot keep putting this off. The ache to know if Gabe was alive, and if so  _ where _ , was constant. The fear that he wasn’t...it was too much, but if he knew one way or the other, maybe he could at least put his fears to rest. 

He leans over the bed, pulling his clothes up from the floor and opens the small pouch where the phial has been kept safe. It was luckily not caught in the blast, _ thank Andraste _ , as Jack had left the pouch with his casual wear. He was infinitely thankful for that decision now.

The glass feels almost warm in his hands, not cool to the touch like he expects. Though with his temperature being colder than normal, maybe cold felt...warm? But it was warmer than even that, somehow. Nerves build up in Jack’s hands, making him shake and struggle to hold the phial out properly.

He whispers a short incantation that he’d been taught, and the blood flashes a dull, soft glow. It almost pulses in his hands, like a heartbeat. Rein makes a curious sound from his side. 

“That’s unusual.” 

Jack looks up. “Really?”

“Normally there’s just a glow, not that flicker.”

“Is that a bad sign?”

Rein shrugs one shoulder. “I don’t know. But at least you know he’s alive.”

Jack agrees. He deactivates the power and replaces the phial to its rightful spot. Then he settles back into bed and closes his eyes.

“You love him, don’t you?” Reinhardt asks, after a few moments of silence.

Jack isn’t sure how to respond. He’s frozen in his bed, breath caught in his throat. He’d never before considered the depths of what he felt for Gabe. He never really had to. They simply just  _ were _ .

“It’s alright if you don’t want to answer.” Rein says. “I am happy for you.”

Jack swallows painfully, mouth dry. “I don’t know if he feels the same.”

Reinhardt lets out a short chortle, his whole bed shaking. “You must be kidding!” He laughs. “We all saw how he looked at you. Please do not fool yourself, Jack.” 

“It’s not allowed…”

“No, but demons aren’t meant to walk freely among the wakeful and yet all sorts of things are happening in this world now!”

Jack smiles. “You may have a point.”

“I always do.”

Jack settles back into bed, pulling loose blankets against himself so he has something to hold onto. He thinks of the stuttering beat of the phial, how the warmth of Gabriel flowed through all this way, like the man was right next to him. Jack knows that Gabe is somewhere and holds onto that thought long into his sleep that night. Gabe is  _ alive _ .


	11. Chapter 11

Val Royeaux is much bigger than Gabe imagined. It not only spread outwards for miles, but it also grew  _ up _ . Some of the buildings here were three, four, even five stories tall, and went on for several blocks, all interconnected in one big maze of city and market. 

It’s been about a month of travel, keeping hidden, and taking passage wherever he can find it to get to Orlais. Despite some setbacks, he’s managed to get into the city relatively unbothered. People have more important things to worry about than some haggard looking man hobbling into town, and luckily his condition was at least stable for his journey.

But something in this city seems to be aggravating whatever’s inside of him. There are many things here, old, holy, or both, that could potentially drive back a demon of the fade, depending on its origin, Gabe guesses.

He wasn’t very well-versed in demons though. Just told to avoid them at all costs, and never make any sort of deal with the things.

Once he rests for the night, he sets out in the city marketplace the next morning. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take him long to find Moira. He stops a few people on the street, likely people just doing their weekly shopping, if anyone was nearby who had knowledge of spells and potions. Moments later, and he’s being pointed towards a small shop front in a central part of town, not too far from the tavern he’d stayed the night.

He comes upon the local apothecary by the looks of it. Zenyatta wasn’t wrong. The smell of her shop hits Gabe in the face the moment he walks inside. There are many potions sitting out in decorative bottles, likely empty ones on display, their labels too ornate to really be for sale. All manners of herbs, spices and ingredients litter the walls and shelves and even some enchanted items. Gabe wonders if perhaps this Moira is a dwarf. 

He turns a corner to find a woman sitting at a table, carefully working an enchantment into some sort of pot. Gabe is confused for a moment how she’s able to do this. She turns her head to get a better view of Gabe, and when her dark hair shifts, Gabe sees the brand again. The mark of Tranquility. He steps back, unnerved. 

If this was Moira’s solution to his problem, he wanted no part of it.

“Ah, welcome!” A voice calls from behind. “Do not mind Amélie, she is focused on her craft.”

Gabe turns around, facing a woman taller than him, limbs long, lanky and thin. The rest of her is much the same, even her short, red hair atop her head. It all suited her, really. 

“I came here for help.” Gabe responds, wasting no time with idle chit chat. “Is there somewhere private we can speak?”

Something in his demeanor or voice must tip her off because she agrees far too readily. “Of course. Come with me.” She leads him into a side room, where it looks like she does most of her brewing work. Empty jars, phials, and bowls sit along one wall, while large batches of potions in progress flank the other side. “What is the issue?” Moira asks, taking a seat in a rather comfortable looking chair.

Gabe follows suit, and sits down in a chair nearby. He wrings his hands together to keep himself from screaming out at the absurdity of everything. “There is a demon in me.” Gabe says. He stares at Moira with as much resolve as he can muster. “I want it gone.”

“I see, I see. Yes, well. That does pose a problem for you, I suspect.” She steeples her fingers in front of her face in thought. “I suppose that mist coming from your person is an indicator of the demon?”

Gabe flinches. He hadn’t realized it was happening again. “I think so.”

Moira pops up from her chair, her long legs carrying her across the floor quickly. She bends down, eye level now with Gabe as she moves around him, inspecting. “This is very curious indeed. Just what have you done to get a demon of this caliber to cling to you in such a way?”

Gabe doesn’t know how to answer that, so he doesn’t. It didn’t seem like Moira had any interest in an answer anyway.

She pokes at his arm, lifts it, and turns over his palm. “Someone has your blood.” She says, swiping her thumb over the clean scar from the knife. “Could’ve been used to bind the creature…”

“You mean blood magic?”

Moira drops his hand. “Perhaps. There are other ways to bring demons into the world. Many, in fact.” She circles Gabe once more, stopping directly in front of him. “I want to take some samples.”

“Of what?”

A small smile graces Moira’s face. “Just a few things I’m sure you won’t miss.”

She turns, grabbing a few things off a nearby shelf, and sets them on a table next to her. “Now, stay still…”

\--

Gabe leaves the apothecary a few things short. Namely, some of his hair, a strip of his clothing, a few drops of blood, and some captured mist that spilled from his mouth during all of this. Moira had told him to give her a day. She’d have a solution for him then.

It’s hard for Gabe to trust her on anything she says. The woman was mysterious, and her tranquil helper made Gabe deeply uncomfortable. Everything about her screamed not to trust her, but unfortunately for him, he really had no other options.

Gabe spends the night in a small inn, not too far from the apothecary. He doesn’t sleep that night as usual, but his wakefulness is even more plagued with foul thoughts clouding his mind. He keeps thinking of what Moira said, and his thoughts keep drifting to memories of Jack. But his memories contort after a while, and he frightens himself with his own imagination. 

He wishes there was a way to find him, some way to know how he was doing. If he was alive.

But these things, if they exist, must be hard to come by. And nothing Gabe ever does will bring him any closer. The best he can do are his memories, and he clings to what little he can.

\--

When Gabe returns to the apothecary, nothing seems to have changed in the shop. Even Amélie is in the same spot, though she is working on an enchantment for a different object. She nods her head at him as he approaches, and points to the back room. 

“She is in there. Announce your arrival before entering.” She says, voice thick with an Orlesian accent.

“Thank you.” Gabe pokes his head inside. “Moira? I’m back, like you asked.” He looks around the small room, but doesn’t see the woman at all.

And then he does. She steps out from a shadow, holding a glass flask in her hand, swirling some deep purple liquid around as she approaches. “Excellent. Come in, sit down.”

Gabe does as he’s told, stomach twisted in knots, a light sweat on his brow. Moira goes around behind him, and lowers the flask in front of him. He takes it wordlessly. 

“Don’t drink that. I need you to hold that close to your body, and breathe in the from the flask whenever it gets to be too much. Understand?”

Gabe looks down into the liquid. “Yes.” He says, though he doesn’t understand completely. 

“Keep your head still.” She says, then without further warning, her hands are on the back of his neck, and something under his skin is on  _ fire _ . Crawling flame, twisting up from his spine into his head. Writing pain and agony shoots through the rest of him, his veins bulging with the effort to keep himself still. “Keep steady.”

More pain, the fire so hot his skin feels like it’s melting. He expects it to look that way, but besides a sweat, nothing looks out of the ordinary. He opens his mouth in a gasp. 

“Don’t talk, you might bite your tongue.”

Gabe closes his mouth.

As Moira works, more and more of that black smoke billows from Gabe, surrounding the two of them in a thick cloud. It doesn’t move in the way normal smoke would, now that he’s paying attention to it. It curls upwards slyly, beckoning and reaching out to the ceiling in thin, finger-like tendrils. The majority of it stays around Gabe, cloaking him.

Gabe can barely see as Amélie walks in, holding a small tray of items. One thing on the tray includes the small amount of blood Moira took. Though for some reason, it appears to have completely blackened. 

It takes hours, off and on, each time hurts worse than the last, and brings forth more smoke. Gabe wonders if the smoke is the demon fighting back. Moira doesn’t explain anything, and Gabe’s too worried to ask. He finds he doesn’t care how things are fixed, just that they are.

After the sun has just begun to set, Gabriel feels his entire world going dark, and he fights against the sensation as much as he can, but in the end, sleep overtakes his weakened body for the first time in months.

When he awakes, some hours later into the night, he finds Moira sitting by his side, smiling. He was still in the chair, but his body wasn’t stiff like it should be.

Moira leans in, looking proud. “Tell me, how do you feel?”

“Better, in some ways. Is the demon gone?”

“No. There are many methods of bonding a demon to a soul, but next to nothing known to work the other way round. Beyond the obvious and most often used method, of course.” She laughs, but Gabe doesn’t find any of this particularly funny. “I found a good way to deal with it.”

Gabe feels sick. He still felt overheated, but it didn’t bother him like it did before. He couldn’t see anything wrong with his hands, or his body. Everything felt in the right places, and he was in control of his actions. But  _ something _ felt off. Something wasn’t right.

“What did you do to me?” Gabe demands, anxiety coloring his voice. She leans back and grabs a small hand mirror, offering it to him.

Gabe takes the mirror with shaking hands. He looks at himself for only a second, but the brief flash of red in his eyes tells him all he needs to know.

“The last option is to sever your connection to the fade. It will drive this demon out, but at a high cost.”

“No! No, I’m not doing that. I don’t want to live that sort of…life.”

Moira nods, turning her head to the entrance of the room where Amélie generally sits. “Then you and this demon are tied to one another now, but properly this time. Before I helped, it was simply hanging on by a thread, tugging you badly in directions you didn’t want to travel down, and severely limiting your capability.” She stands up and takes the mirror away. “Now it is fully a part of you. It cannot control you, and it cannot hurt you without hurting itself. The methods I used are ancient, and I needed to be sure that what I wanted to accomplish wouldn’t kill you.” She claps her hands. “Fortunately it appears to have worked!”

“There was a possibility of this failing?” Gabe asks, holding out his hand. “I could have died?”

“Oh yes. You were on the brink once or twice. But don’t worry about that. I discovered something very interesting I’d want you to try out for me.” She moves back from the chair, to the other side of the room. “You can use that smoke to your advantage. Watch.” She says, picking up an empty glass container. It looks heavy. 

Moira tosses it at Gabe, and he flinches. When a shattering comes a second later, but he’s unharmed, he opens his eyes. 

The arm he’d been inspecting earlier is made from that inky smoke, his form not quite taking shape, but keeping a good approximation. It fades after a few seconds. “That seems like the demon protecting itself, but as you are one now, you can use that at will with practice, I’m sure.” Moira seems almost giddy, and Gabe just feels sick.

He stands from the chair with a strength he wasn’t aware he had, the wood clattering to the ground, and one of the arms snapping off. “This isn’t what I wanted!” He yells. A dark cloud grows behind him, sucking the light from the room. “I didn’t want to be bound to this creature!”

“I did it to protect your life. Or would you have preferred to die?”

Gabe falters. His mind instantly goes back to Jack, and to thoughts of him being devastated by the news of Gabe’s death. But what he’s become, Gabe thinks, isn’t much better. “Maybe.”

He begins to form a shard of ice in his palm, ready to shoot. It’s curious, the feeling of the energy flowing down his arm, into his palm. Instead of clearly coming from his core, it feels like he’s drawing the power from the air. His body isn’t fatigued, and he finds all of his previous strength back, and then some. He feels better than before. Stronger, high energy. He feels ready to take on anything. He lets go of the spell, a few drops of water sliding off his hand onto the ground. The feeling is wonderful and terrifying all at once.

\--

As Gabe leaves, Moira stops him, and asks to write her updates on his newfound power. She wants to track his progress. Gabe isn’t sure if he will or not, but he agrees with her request all the same.

With this renewed strength, and some of the demon’s desires unknowingly coloring his own choices, Gabe prepares to return to Ferelden.

His thoughts keep switching back to Jack. If  _ this _ is what those people did to Gabe, what in the world have they done to Jack? He remembers Jack’s skin, pale and sickly, and the way he began to glow. None of that was natural, and all of it was painful. 

Now that fears for his heath are wiped from his mind, Gabe has a different plan: to seek out those at the Hold responsible for his condition, and make them pay for what they’ve done to him and Jack.


	12. Chapter 12

While working with the newly formed Inquisition, Jack’s been purposefully taking orders closer to the source of Gabe’s phalactory signal. He follows the warmth, and the light, and he follows the demons pouring into the world along the trail.

Reinhardt comes with him, claiming that it’s safer for the two of them to travel together, though Jack knows that the other man is lonely. He is lonely too, so he appreciates the company.

Sometimes, Jack finds it best to have Rein with him. He’s gotten lost in his thoughts more than once at night, almost forgetting to sleep, and more often forgetting to eat. Though his body doesn’t always remind him to do either. 

Demons fall by both of their hands day after day. And not once has Jack needed to take lyrium again. Rein drinks it down fairly regularly, but Jack hasn’t touched the stuff in ages. Not since the experiments. He finds he doesn’t particularly miss it, and he appreciates not getting the shakes when his power runs low. Not that it’s run low in weeks.

Reinhardt doesn’t mention it if he notices something is off. Maybe he knew why, and maybe he knew that neither of them liked to bring up. It was for the best. 

Jack and Rein slowly make their way into the heart of Ferelden. No orders are forthcoming from his superiors, so he travels the direction the phylactery sends him, his chest growing tighter with each hour that passes. 

What if Gabe didn’t feel the same after all this time? What if it was only Jack who held on to these feelings, and Gabe had run off without a care? Jack frowns, shaking his head of his thoughts. He holds onto the hope that Gabe would welcome him back into his life, but he cannot quiet the fear that time and the changes that Jack went through would put Gabe off.

He’s not even sure if Gabe knows he’s alive.

He slows down on the path he and Rein are on currently. “Do you think I am making a mistake?” He asks, unable to keep a waver out of his voice. Rein raises a brow, so Jack elaborates. “With Gabe...I...we’ve been away longer than we’ve known each other. Am I doing something incredibly stupid right now?”

Reinhardt sighs. “I think it is in your best interest to know, so that no matter the outcome, you have answers.” Rein says finally, oddly serious. Jack nods.

Rein was often right.

\--

The two end up passing by the Hold and Lake Calenhad. The lake seemed all too still for Jack’s liking. The area around the tower dead and devoid of life. Jack didn’t spend more time then he had to near it, deviating from the river path and moving into the fields just to avoid having to look at the lake all day. It brought up too many bad memories for him to feel comfortable.

Each time he checks it, the signal from the phial grows in strength, and has been for about a week. Something changed within Gabe, and all for the better by the feel of things. This could only be a good sign. Maybe Gabriel was finally healing from the ordeal. Jack smiles. He wants so badly to see Gabe again, alive and healthy. 

He misses the man’s warm skin, and the tickle of his beard. He misses Gabe’s smile, with his eyes crinkling at the corners, lips a little tilted like he knew something. He misses Gabe’s eyes, dark and comforting. But most of all Jack misses the way Gabe said his name. There were layers in the other man’s voice that made Jack light up. There was meaning in his tone.

Jack presses the phial against his chest, holding it close, and he keeps it there for hours.

Soon enough, Jack and Reinhardt cross a very narrow section of the lake after a few days travel alongside the road, and follow the signal right into the town of Redcliffe. It’s been a bustling center of activity for Ferelden these last few months, and this isn’t the first time Jack has been to the city recently. Much of it remains unchanged, just different faces milling around the typical buildings and places of business. Trade remains ever steady, and refugees from the demons and the rebellion are everywhere. 

When Jack checks again once they are near the town center, Gabe’s signal is very strong. The man had to be in this city  _ somewhere _ . Jack was so close he could almost taste it.

It doesn’t take him long until Jack ends up hearing some concerning talk at the tavern where he’s rented some rooms. 

He asks a few folks in the tavern about anyone matching Gabe’s description, but all he gets back are numerous rumors surrounding some vengeful, shadowy figure who went around the city killing innocents. Some of them seem shaken to their core from whatever they’ve seen, and blame the mages for the atrocities. 

If this  _ is _ Gabe, Jack’s worried these tales aren’t too far off. 

But something about the viciousness of this spector Jack doesn’t understand. That  _ can’t  _ be Gabe, can it? Maybe the person doing this just looks similar, or maybe people are letting their minds play tricks on them. 

Jack thinks of the playful, kind-hearted person who comforted him during the experiments even when he was hurting worse. He thinks of the man who held him close when the shakes got so bad he’d bite his own tongue. He thinks of the man who shared his meager rations because the experiments took everything out of them both...

That couldn’t be the same man supposedly killing all these people. 

Could it?

Jack shakes out if his thoughts and thanks the woman he was taking to. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes, but he doesn’t particularly care. He needs to go outside for a little while, get some air, and do some searching on foot. At least that would keep him busy. 

Once he found Gabe, all of this would be cleared up, Jack thinks.

He doesn’t ask anyone else if they’ve seen Gabe around town. He doesn’t want to hear more rumors.

He pulls the phial out from the pouch. It’s been wrapped to prevent too much glowing, but he can still feel it react to Gabe’s presence, pulsing almost as if it shared Gabe’s heartbeat. The sensation has been strong since coming to Redcliffe, which tells Jack he’s definitely on the right track. 

Jack presses the bundle close again. He changed out of his armor while in his room, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. Often Jack found that people would approach him for all manner of things when he entered a town in his official armor, which greatly reduced the ability he had to look around a town without raising any alarms. He needed the freedom of movement, and the ability to travel without being given a second glance.

He follows a winding path through dark alleys and back streets, wondering if perhaps he wasn’t reading the signals correctly once dusk begins to creep into the city, bathing the buildings in a darker, more purplish light.

He looks up at the waning sun, then back down to the phial in his arms. He sighs.

He’s been walking in circles all day, his path taking him around the entire town and then some. Jack hears a few kids down one street being rowdy, and some of the shopkeepers beginning to clean up their outdoor stores. Only then does he resign himself to a wasted day, and turns back to the tavern, defeated. 

But then he hears a voice. It’s slightly deeper than he remembers, and Jack’s not sure if that’s his mind playing tricks on him or not, but he recognizes it all the same. His heart kicks up into his throat.

The voice comes from one of the darkened side streets, and an even darker shape steps out from the shadows. “Jackie?”


	13. Chapter 13

There are few things Gabe knows for certain in this town, but an important one is this: a man from the hold, one of the elderly men who often hurt Jack, Vernand Gabe believes, has been spotted in Redcliffe. He’s been taking shelter after escaping the hold. Several people have pointed to a small hovel down by the docks where he’s gone on pretending to be nothing more than an old man, and definitely not a mage. 

A few people had grown suspicious of him, and when offered some of the coin Gabe’s saved up, they talked readily about their suspicions, and their hatred of mages. Gabe wonders if they knew they were talking to another mage. But he doesn’t care either way - he wants this man dead just as much as these people. 

He finds the building easily enough. Though he quickly wishes he hadn’t.

Vernand isn’t inside when he pushes open the door, but what he finds is damning all in its own right. Skulls, dozens of them along shelves, all with a crystal embedded in one eye socket. He’s seen these before on his travels, placed up along hills mostly. 

The skulls were bad enough, but the journal left there, detailing their origin, sends him into a rage. He can feel the demon in him flaring up, flames crawling just under his skin. He lets out a low, steady breath to control himself. It would do no good to destroy this building before the old man returned. It’s lucky then, that it’s clear from the text the man didn’t make these Oculara, or else Gabe wouldn’t be able to calm the demon. Or himself.

He thinks of that quiet woman, Amélie. She is tranquil. He looks at the skulls in the wall, and can almost imagine the mark of tranquility branded deep into their bones. He thinks of Zenyatta, and all the others who failed to keep control of their magic, or were too scared to take their Harrowing… All of those people, they ended up here, or could have. He has no idea how old these skulls are, but many of the bones seem fresh. So many lives lost. And for what? To find something?

Gabe growls, and finds a dark corner to wait in. Some of his body breaks off into a mist, making it harder to see him. 

Then he waits.

\--

The man doesn’t even have a chance to defend himself. 

Gabriel had a cone of ice prepared for over half an hour; the freezing crystals coating his fingertips felt strange, but didn’t actually hurt him anymore. Once he steps inside, Gabe blasts Vernand with the cone, keeping him stuck in place. The old man’s eyes are wide when he recognizes Gabe, and he looks like he’d be pleading for some sort of mercy had his mouth not been frozen shut.

Gabe slowly materializes in front of him, seeming to melt off the walls before becoming corporeal once again. “You know why I’m here.” He says, some of the smoke escaping from his mouth. The demon inside of him writhes in excitement. 

Vernand’s eyes start to water, two of his unfrozen fingers twitching. But Gabe knew he couldn’t reliably cast a spell like that, so he lets him struggle. 

“You hurt someone I care about, and who knows how many countless others.” He looks around the room, and the man’s eyes follow him. “I know these are not your work, but you chose to stay here among the dead.” Gabe smiles. “Why don’t you join them?”

Gabe leaves Vernand’s shattered body in the house to send a message: someone was coming to finish the job. _Run._

\--

Days later, he remains in the city, picking off a few templar deserters that he recognizes as having a part in the experiments at the top of the tower. Some of them even have the decency to remember him and look remorseful before they die. 

He doesn’t stop to think on what he’s doing, merely rides the high of picking off those who hurt him. Those who hurt _Jack._ The demon in him loves the feeling of vengeance. Of justice served to those who deserve it. Gabe loves it too. He wonders if he shouldn’t.

Best not to dwell on it too much.

A rumor is spreading in the town of Redcliffe now, and Gabriel hopes it finds its way far from here, to strike fear into the hearts of anyone else who was responsible for the suffering.

He spends his days inside, keeping to himself. He tests the full range of his new powers, practices with the strange new form of his body. His hand dissolves in front of his face, turning into transparent, purplish tendrils of smoke that rise up away from him, but that he can still control. He pushes the extent of it, even once managing to slip his entire body under a door and reform on the other side. 

It was amazing and terrifying all at once.

In the evening, Gabe takes to the streets, floating through the narrow corridors not as himself, but instead a darkened cloud, almost impossible to track.

Though he does feel _followed_. He’s not sure by whom, or by what, but he doesn’t like it. Nobody should be able to keep track of where he’s going, not without being able to see him properly.

Gabe stops dead in his tracks, part of his upper body forming and clinging to a nearby wall. 

Only one person has the ability to find him, no matter where he is. Could it be…?

But, then again...was Gabe even truly himself anymore? Was it possible enough of himself remained?

He drops the mist, landing heavily into a puddle, but he doesn’t pay it any mind. He flips his hood up, and shrinks back into the shadows of the alley. If it was Jack out there, looking for him in the city, and if Gabe stayed still, then maybe, just maybe, Jack would find him.

\--

It takes nearly another hour, but Jack finds him, though unknowingly. 

Gabe can see Jack deflate out on the street, shoulders going slack and head hanging low. He’s got something in his hands, held close to his body, but he shoves it away and out of sight before Gabe can get a good look at it. He has a feeling he knows what it is either way.

Gabe keeps his hood up, fearful of showing himself to Jack now. He knows he doesn’t resemble his previous self much anymore, what with his strange eyes, cracked lips, and occasional black wisps of smoke escaping from his mouth that he’s found to have little control over. Having a demon coming along for the ride had...some disadvantages. But his desperate need to see Jack again wins out.

He thought he’d lost Jack back then, after they separated in the Hold. So much chaos filled the tower, it would have been terrible trying to leave that wretched place. His heart aches. To see Jack now, and realizing that they were both still alive, despite it being so long...Gabe can’t help himself from calling out to him.

“Jackie?” He says in a question, unsure if his eyes are playing a trick on him.

Jack turns at the call of his name, letting out a small gasp.

The sight of him startles Gabe, and Jack seems to know this, quickly tilting his head down. They both remain there, only a few feet away from one another in a stand still. Neither of them willing to make the first move, yet both of them wanting so badly to go to each other.

Gabe stands up straighter, taking one, two steps forward. Then a few more, until he’s standing in front of Jack’s stunned face. Gabe reaches out and gently holds Jack’s chin in his spiked gloves. Jack doesn’t lean into the touch, not immediately, but a small bit of tension melts away.

Gabe turns him so he can get a better look. Jack looks exhausted, but the energy crackling behind Jack’s eyes suggests something else entirely. Jack meets his gaze only for a second, then flicks his eyes away.

There’s thin lines of blue around his mouth, too. Was this from the experiments? Gabe had never truly noticed it...though he can appreciate Jack’s attempt at covering it up. The stubble looked nice on him, suited him, really. Gabe swipes his thumb over Jack’s chin, scraping the leather of his gloves against Jack’s bristly stubble.

Jack reaches out before Gabe has a chance to stop him, pulling down his cloak, and Jack’s eyes go wide. It’s Jacks turn to be shocked. 

“Gabe… what happened to you?” Jack asks, voice small, curious but hurt. He sounds like he can’t quite believe what’s happening. 

Gabe swallows, and decides to tell the truth. “Those experiments started... _this_.” He says, gesturing at himself. “A woman I found in Orlais was supposed to help me. She just made things worse.” He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Well, no. Sort of. She stopped the experiments from killing me, but...a lot has happened, Jackie.” He manages finally. “I want to tell you everything, but. Not here.”

Jack nods, and looks around the street. A few people are still out, but not too many that moving through the town back to the tavern would be difficult. “Put your hood back up. I have a room.” Jack tilts his head and starts to move away, indicating for Gabe to follow him.

He mourns the lack of contact once Jack leaves, but he's scared to do more than Jack initiates. So he follows Jack close behind instead.

They enter the tavern with no issue, not a single patron paying either of them any mind.

Jack locks the door once they’re both inside the room, and turns to face Gabriel again, keeping his back against the wood. “Is it true you’ve been killing people, Gabe?”

Gabe flinches. “Only those who did this to me. To us.” He says truthfully. He couldn’t lie to Jack, not like this. He steps a bit closer, and when Jack doesn’t move away, he closes the space between the two of them, but doesn’t touch Jack again.

It takes a moment, but Jack seems to accept his answer with a nod. “I understand.”

Gabe just watches him, his eyes scanning over every inch of Jack’s face, trying to commit his newer look to memory, just in case something happened that split the two of them up again. He worries his lower lip between his teeth, about to talk, but Jack beats him to the punch.

“I’ve held onto this,” Jack starts, pulling the bundle from a pouch on his side and unwrapping it. The spell wasn’t active on the phial, so it didn’t glow, but he still removes its covering carefully, with some level of respect. “I didn’t want to check it for the longest time, you know that?”

Gabe reaches out and places one hand on Jack’s neck. His skin is cool to the touch, even through the leather. It’s nice, actually. 

“I didn’t want to know if you were dead, I wasn’t sure if I could accept that reality. But when I finally tested, and saw that you were _alive_ , oh. Gabe, I missed you so much.”

Jack places his hand over Gabe’s, and pulls himself in closer, their chests touching. He leans in, pressing his forehead against Gabe’s as he continues talking. “I was so afraid that you were dead, I thought it would be easier not knowing.” He laughs at himself, sounding a little bitter. “It wasn’t easier.”

Gabe slides his hand up, cupping the side of Jack’s face in his hand. Jack turns and presses his lips against the leather on instinct, desperate for any sort of contact. Gabe felt the same. He wishes he could have checked on Jack during these long months. He’s touched that Jack would do that for him, but upset he wasn’t able to do the same.

“I must admit,” Gabe says, pulling back enough to look Jack in the eye. “I had...given up hope of seeing you again. Once I saw the sky open up, I was worried you hadn’t made it.” He brings his other hand to Jack’s side. “Seeing you on the street was like seeing a ghost. I wasn’t sure if you were really there.” 

Jack laughs, his smile brightening up his entire face, and making Gabe’s heart lodge firmly in his throat. “I should say the same of you!” Jack shakes his head with a grin. “We’re both royally fucked, aren’t we?”

Gabe returns Jack’s smile, threading his fingers through the longer hairs on the back of Jack’s head. “We are, but I don’t mind all that much…” He says, pulling Jack in. Jack starts to go willingly, even eagerly, but something stops him right before their lips brush. Gabe can feel Jack’s breath on his mouth. It makes him giddy.

Jack sucks in a quick breath. “I missed you.” He says, still hesitating. 

Gabe doesn’t let him draw it out any further, and pushes into a kiss, long in the making. They break a few times through their pleased laugher, all the emotions of the past months welling up and escaping. Gabe tilts his head and goes back for another, deeper kiss, one Jack melts into happily, only stopping it with a smile he can’t seem to control. 

Gabe understands Jack’s reaction completely. He brushes a thumb over Jack’s cheek when they pull back. 

Jack looks at him. “Do you think we could be safe here?’

“No. Too many of your people are still rounding up mages in the countryside and in smaller towns. It’s only inevitable they will go to the bigger towns soon. They already hit Denerim.”

Jack sighs. “Makes sense, it’s a popular refugee destination, among other things.” He turns and sits heavily on the bed a few feet away. “I’m tired of fighting, Gabe.” He looks down at his hands, and Gabe leans against the wall, waiting. “I’m tired of being used as an attack dog against these demons, and I’m tired of traveling all over when it feels like there’s no end to these things.”

“I’ve seen some smaller pockets of them, took out a few where I could, but there’s never any real end to them.” Gabe agrees.

Jack runs a hand through his hair. “There’s not, only one person’s been able to stop the tears in the sky and close them, but she’s up in the mountains somewhere, giving out orders. I’ve seen too many people die for nothing.”

“I know.” Gabe says, joining Jack on the bed. He wraps an arm around the man, pulling him against his shoulder. “At least you won’t be alone with it anymore.”

“I’m not entirely al-”

“JACK!” Jack’s door swings wide open, almost bouncing off the wall from the force. “Jack! I’ve got witnesses who say-” Reinhardt stops mid-sentence, good eye huge and staring Gabe in the face. “Well I’ll be damned.” He gasps. “You’re already here! Gabriel!” Reinhardt rushes over to the bed and grabs Gabe, nearly lifting him. “It is so good to see you again! I’ve heard so much about you recently!”

Gabe turns his head towards Jack, whose face is bright red. He won’t look at him.

Gabe laughs and dissolves into smoke with a surprised shout from Rein, and reforms behind the big man. “I appreciate the hugs, but I do still need to breathe.”

Reinhardt’s mouth is slack, but so is Jack’s. There was a lot of catching up to do.

\--

The three eventually settle on traveling to Rivain. Gabe is the only one still with outside contacts, and a relatively safe space to go. Rivain was also slightly removed from this...fade nonsense. At least, Jack knew no more templars were being sent out that way, since many of the seers were put to work rallying demons and sending them back to their homes. 

As far as a good place to hide away and recover from travel, Rivain was their best bet. Plus, Gabe was excited to see Ana again. He missed his friend. 

It takes over a week and a half to get to a port due to bad weather, and the group being stopped more than once to question them. Jack just laughs off his fellow templars, tells them under no circumstances would he willingly travel with a mage, even if once or twice Gabe lets off an arcane bolt towards some sort of animal while the group is being questioned. 

Jack looks disappointed when Gabe returns with a pair of rabbits, held aloft triumphantly. “What?” He asks, looking at Jack, who just shakes his head, and Reinhardt, who is doing his best not to laugh. The retreating backs of a small group of patrolling Templars doesn’t escape Gabe’s notice. “Oh.” He lowers the rabbits. “At least I got dinner?”

Somehow the group are never caught, and all of them end up back in Denerim. Gabe makes it a point to bring Jack around the side streets he’d come to know, to keep out of the reach of a few gangs who would want nothing more than sink their blades into a couple of templars. 

Travel to Rivain costs nearly all of Gabe’s savings, but even as he empties his coin purse, he’s certain he’s making the right decision. 


	14. Chapter 14

For Jack, the ship ride to Rivain is almost worse than the anxiety over trying to find Gabe. 

He can’t quite place what changed since they were on the road, but the atmosphere has shifted, and both men have separated on the ship to different areas, busying themselves with small tasks. 

Jack can tell Gabe sneaks glances at him when he thinks Jack isn’t looking, and all it does is make Jack feel worse.

The first night, he sits on his tiny cot, swaying gently with the waves, and stares down at his arms. Without a mirror on the ship, Jack cannot check how is face looks, but the basin of fresh water tells him enough. He knows he’s changed a lot since the Hold, and he knows none of it was for the better. 

He tightens his hand into a fist, staring at the vivid blue of his veins just under his skin. That wasn’t a natural color. And in dark light, Jack could almost see a glow. It was terrifying, and it made Jack feel less than human. He’d heard of some other templars getting corrupted by lyrium, and turning into mindless creatures. They apparently closely resembled Abominations, and Jack feels a shiver run up his spine at the thought. Would he eventually turn into one of those... _ things _ ? Would he end up killing everyone he cares about without even realizing it? 

Would Gabe have to put him out of his misery…?

Jack drops his arms to his side and tilts his head back to the ceiling, eyes shut tightly. If he concentrated, really let his mind blank out, he could  _ feel _ the lyrium in his body, under his skin. He could feel that thrumming energy, a heartbeat of song inside of him. It kept him up at night if he noticed it right before falling asleep. Would Gabriel be able to hear it? 

Jack slides off his cot and exits the sleeping quarters onto the main deck. A light rain falls down on his head, but it’s not enough to bother him and make him retreat back inside. He spots Gabriel further away, his back turned.

He wants to go to him. He already misses the contact they had for a few days, and he misses the way Gabe looked at him, and casually touched his back, or his face. He misses these things already, but something inside of him tells him he needs to keep his distance. That maybe he’s making a mistake...that Gabriel deserves someone better than him.

\--

Jack ends up watching Gabe from afar most of the trip. Reinhardt and Gabe talk a few times, Rein getting chuckles out the other man, and giving him the companionship that Jack finds himself unable to provide. He knew he shouldn’t pull away like this, but it was hard. He had Gabe back, and now that it was real, that Gabe was here, Jack felt like he shouldn’t have this…

The ship docks in Dairsmuid, a city Jack had never been to, but only read about. Reinhardt is near his side, looking around the city in a childish wonder, restraining himself from stopping at every food stall, or street market to buy things.

The city is alive with activity. People push around their small group while they hurry to wherever they need to be, children play on the sides of the streets, or on their front porches. There are bags of grains and spices, drying peppers and greens, and all sorts of salted meats out for sale. 

Jack’s mouth waters, and he wishes he could ask Gabe to slow down for a moment, but the other man is way out in front, walking hurriedly, and with a purpose. 

“Rein?” Jack starts, looking up at him. Reinhardt’s been uncharacteristically silent since they got off the ship. He even looks worried. 

“Hm?” 

“I’m afraid.”

Reinhardt stops in his tracks, looking at Jack like he’s grown three heads.

Maybe he has.

“Of what? We only defected from the Order a little bit. I doubt any of them will notice we’re gone, what with all the chaos happening right now.”

Jack presses his lips together. “You know what I’m talking about.” He says, glancing at Gabe’s back.

Rein lets out a long sigh. “I know, but I don’t understand  _ why _ , Jack.”

He crosses his arms, one of his hands picking at his sleeve. Jack could feel the heat of the sun here for once. “I...I’m afraid he’s going to realize that we’ve both changed, that  _ I’ve  _ changed, and that he’ll reject me.”

“People change all the time. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. But not every change is something to be feared.” Rein says. “Neither of you could help what happened to you. Are you afraid of Gabriel, now that he’s the way he is?” 

Jack baulks, leaning back. “No! Of course not!”

Reinhardt doesn’t say anything else, just waits for Jack’s brain to catch up, which Jack is eventually thankful for. “Just talk with him.”

Jack nods.

They make it to their destination less than half an hour later.

\--

“Gabriel!” A Qunari woman exclaims, pulling Gabe in a hug before he can introduce anyone. “Tell me everything once we’re all inside!” She turns to Reinhardt and Jack. Even for a Qunari, this woman is rather short, Jack thinks on curiously. “Well, come in! No point in standing around now, is there?” 

Reinhardt pauses on the steps, and reaches out his hand to pull hers up to his mouth, presses a soft kiss to her knuckles. “Thank you for your hospitality.” He says softly, leaning back up to full height. The woman flushes, smiling widely.

Jack blinks. He’s never seen Reinhardt like this before. Maybe it was a good thing he’d come along. 

Once inside, Gabe claps a hand behind Jack’s back, in more of a friendly manner, and not the way he’d been doing so before. “Ana, this is Jack. Jack,” He turns, looking at Jack carefully. “This woman is one of my very best friends. She’s helped me through a lot over the years. Frankly, I’m not sure why she puts up with me still.”

Ana laughs. “Nice to meet you, Jack. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She says, a little cryptically. “And who is this strapping young man?” She asks, looking back at Rein.

Gabe snorts, and Reinhardt speaks up. “My name is Reinhardt, my lady. I am a very good friend of Jack’s.” 

“Good to hear. Always glad to meet friends of friends.” She smiles at Jack. “Or otherwise.”

She moves away, heading to a side room. “Would any of you like tea? I can get more cups out.”

Both Jack and Rein agree, but Gabe shakes his head no.

“What? You won’t even pretend for my sake anymore? Did that demon take all your manners with it when it left?”

Gabe freezes, and Jack doesn’t say anything, just turns to see what Gabe will do.

“That woman did not remove the demon from me.” He says. “She told me afterwards it was never an option if I wanted to remain alive. So...she bound it to me instead. Safely, so it cannot hurt me, as it’d be hurting itself.”

Ana frowns. “Isn’t that true for you as well? You can’t hurt it?”

Gabe nods. 

“Guess that’s settled then.” Ana says as she walks to her kitchen, leaving a slightly confused Gabe standing there. 

Later on in the night, after the group have some tea, Ana introduces her daughter to everyone. Fareeha carefully hands a small trinket to Gabe, then waves at both Rein and Jack before taking a seat next to Ana. They eat dinner like that too, Jack eating something filling and hearty that he cannot name, but he enjoys it regardless. 

Rein takes to nudging Jack when he gets lost in his thoughts during dinner. Jack nods, knowing he was going to have to speak with Gabe tonight, before Jack let his brain make things even worse for himself. He missed Gabe so much, so why was he avoiding him now?

\--

While Reinhardt entertains Ana and Fareeha in the main room, Jack moves to what looks to be a small, spare bedroom. One bed is pressed against the wall under a window, and nearby stands a squat dresser. Nothing else decorated the room but some linen curtains, and that suited Jack just fine. The room had a familiar sparse comfort about it. 

Gabe follows him inside the room and shuts the door behind himself. “Are you okay?” He asks, making Jack nervous all over again. 

Jack stands there awkwardly, only a few feet from Gabe. “No. Not really.”

“What’s going on? You’ve been...really distant the last couple of days.”

“Are we making the right choice?” Jack asks, ignoring Gabe’s questions. 

“What?”

“Am I right in coming here with you? Was it a mistake to find you after all this time?”

Gabe frowns, looking hurt, which is the last thing Jack wants.

“What are you talking about, Jackie? You’re not making any sense! I’m so happy that you found me. That we found each other again. I wanted you here, with me.”

Jack shifts. “How can you accept me like this?”

Gabe narrows his eyes. “Me accept  _ you _ ? Jack, have you seen me? Really seen me? I’m not the man you knew before. Hell, I don’t even fully know  _ myself _ anymore. But I do know one thing. And that is I want to be with you, in whatever way I can.” He lets out a long breath. “We went through these things  _ together _ . We both know that neither of us came out of those experiments the same, but that didn’t change my feelings for you.” Gabe takes a step closer, then stops, looking worried. “Did seeing me like this change how you felt about me? Did it ruin your memories of me?”

Jack quickly shakes his head. “No! I was just happy to see you, Gabe. That’s all I wanted. To see you again. To know you were okay.”

Gabe smiles softly, closing the gap between them and drawing Jack in close, holding him closer. Gabe was warm, overly warm for Jack to even notice, but he felt like home. “Listen to me. What you look like, what you can do, none of these things matter to me, okay? What matters is that we’re alive, and you’re unafraid of what I’ve become. I wanted to believe you were okay, but I never put much faith in that being true. So now I want to put my faith in you.” Gabe tightens his hold on Jack. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was afraid I’d never see you again.” Gabe admits, voice soft and deep, rumbling through Jack’s chest. 

Jack feels his throat tighten, and he swallows away the lump there. Distantly, in the living room, he can hear Reinhardt and Ana laughing and carrying on. He’s happy they are allowed this private moment alone. They needed it. Jack slides his arms up around Gabe’s sides, and holds on tightly. He doesn’t ever want Gabe to slip out of his grip again. Not if he could help it.

“I missed you,” Jack repeats, saying it in place of a different string of words. When Gabe presses his face into Jack’s neck and nuzzles against his skin, he knows Gabe understands. This was still a new thing, and both of them had no idea what they were doing. 

Jack pulls away after several long minutes, trying to discreetly wipe his face off with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry I pulled away.”

Gabe shakes his head. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.” 

\--

That night, the two of them decide to share the small room. Both of them find the privacy of it preferable to being out on the couch, or sleeping on the floor in the living room. The bed is old, but it will do.

They hold each other for a while more, the two of them exhausted from their travels and emotions. Jack is the first to let go, so he can crawl into bed. When Gabe hesitates, he waves his hand. “Just come here.” Jack says, sounding half asleep already. Gabe didn’t particularly look tired in any capacity, but he walks over to the bed regardless, pulling off his boots, then sliding under the blankets. 

Gabe turns to face Jack, reaching his hand out to cup Jack’s face once again. Jack could get used to that.

“Sleep well, Jackie.” Gabe says as Jack curls in coser. Jack falls asleep like that, with Gabe’s arms around him, in a bed much too small for two grown men, but neither of them care.

Jack has some of the best sleep of his life.


	15. Epilogue

Weeks pass in Rivain with little issue. Jack spends much of his time out in the markets, buying things for Ana’s house, and he and Gabe’s shared room, while Gabe takes the time to help teach Fareeha better control over her spells since it’s looking like she’s got an affinity for fire. 

Gabe spends time catching back up with Ana as well, showing off some of his newly found abilities, and her testing her own against him. He’s gotten lucky with his smoke, as Ana has come dangerously close to shooting him dead center with an arrow more than once. 

The warm sun in this part of the world does wonders for Jack, too. His cheeks are tinged pink from his hours outside, and he looks more healthy than he has in months. He feels healthier too, getting regular, easy sleep.

Gabe has better control over his abilities, and he finds it’s easier to ignore the tempting thoughts from the demon bound to him when he keeps himself busy. He, Jack, Ana and Rein all train together to keep their skills sharp, just in case more of those demons threaten Rivain again.

Once during their training, Ana put on her vitaar, a sort of poison-paint only other Qunari are immune to. She says it makes her stronger, though neither Jack nor Gabe could really figure out why. Poor Reinhardt though...he made the mistake of kissing Ana on the cheek while her vitaar was applied, landing him with swollen, numb lips and slight pain in his throat the remainder of the day.

Ana fussed after him for a bit, then once she determined he was okay, she vowed to never let him live that down. Even Fareeha got in on the teasing, which quickly turned to happy squealing as Rein picked her up and swung her around a few times for fun. 

At dinner one night, Jack looks up at Gabe, watching him drink Ana’s tea slowly, savoring the flavor while the rest of them ate. “Do you miss food?” He asks while he tears off a small chunk of bread from his roll. “If you eat, do you get sick?”

Gabe shrugs. “Honestly, I’ve no idea. I haven’t tried eating since I stopped feeling hunger.” He reaches over and plucks the piece of bread from Jack. “Let’s see,” He chews on the bread for a bit. “It still tastes good. A little fruity, nice and soft.” 

Jack smiles. “Why don’t you have some of this then?” Jack hands over his plate, stacked high with fish, vegetables, and cheese. “Reinhardt is an excellent cook, isn’t he, Ana?” 

Ana nods begrudgingly. “He has certainly found his way around the spices here, I will commend him on that.” She says. Her voice has a playfully teasing tone about it that makes Reinhardt beam.

“Thank you both! I would be honored if you tried my food, Gabriel!” Rein grins, holding a fork in one big fist, and some cheese in the other. 

Gabriel looks down at Jack’s plate, remembering the taste of freshly caught and cooked fish, feeling nostalgic for it since he hasn’t had anything proper in a long while. 

He slides a bite of fish off the bone. It’s amazing, and the second the fish dissolves in his mouth, his body kicks into overdrive. He finds himself very,  _ very _ hungry. “Oh no.” He whispers. “I think the demon in me realized it likes food, too.”

Reinhardt laughs loud enough to shake the whole table, and Jack joins in once he sees the look on Gabe’s face. 

“Well, I’m glad you’ll be eating with us from now on, Gabe.” Jack says, leaning towards Gabe. “I’m happy to be sharing this with you.”

Gabe feels his face heat up. Well, more than usual. “Me too.”

\--

The giant hole in the sky remains a looming threat, but there’s been talk of people finding ways to close it back up. After hearing nothing from their order for a long time, Jack and Rein assume their files have been lost in the confusion, and they put away their templar armor, opting instead for lighter leathers and chainmail.

For Jack, it feels like taking off a part of himself. It’s not something he can ever truly escape, however. Not with the lyrium endlessly running through his veins. But he can live with that. He still has his blade, his shield, and his powers.

He has Gabe.

He knows Gabe will be there, right beside him every step of the way. Both of them know that, despite so much that has happened, and how long they’d been away from each other, they still felt the same. 

Maybe even more than before. Their feelings for each other were something real, and known, and that was all either of them needed. They could face the world with that knowledge in their hearts.


End file.
